New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed IndiGo to reduce its flight operations by 10 percent as part of a strict action taken in response to recent disruptions and complaints linked to crew shortages and scheduling issues.
The decision came after a meeting between Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu and IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers. Officials said the ministry was not satisfied with the airline’s handling of the situation, especially after hundreds of passengers across major airports faced delays, cancellations and long waiting hours over the past week.
The move follows earlier action by the aviation regulator DGCA, which had ordered a 5 percent cut in IndiGo’s schedule. The ministry has now doubled this to 10 percent, insisting the airline must restore stable operations and fully comply with updated crew duty and rest rules.
IndiGo, which operates more than 2300 flights a day and holds the largest market share in India, will now have to cancel around 200 flights daily under the reduced schedule. Officials said the airline must also submit a revised winter schedule and improve its crew management before it can return to full operations.
Some of the flight slots freed up by IndiGo will be temporarily allocated to other airlines to ensure passengers do not face major disruptions on busy routes.
The ministry has also asked IndiGo to speed up refunds and resolve passenger complaints linked to baggage delays and missed connections. Meanwhile, DGCA has issued a show cause notice to the airline’s top management for failing to properly follow new flight duty norms introduced on November 1.
Authorities said the restrictions will remain until IndiGo shows significant improvement in crew availability and service reliability. The ministry added that the action is meant to send a clear message that safety rules and service standards cannot be compromised.
IndiGo said it is working to strengthen crew rosters and stabilise its network, but the government has stated that closer monitoring will continue in the coming weeks.