IndiGo crisis: Centre orders 10 per cent cut in airline’s operations

The Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday (Dec 09) directed Interglobe Aviation (IndiGo) to slash its operations by 10 per cent even as the airline claimed that its operations are back to normal and running smoothly. The government action comes following days of crisis triggered by IndiGo cancelling over 2000 flights in the recent past. With the 2,200 flights in operation every day, a 10 per cent reduction will lead to the cancellation of more than 200 flights.

The action follows a meeting between Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, MoCA Secretary Sameer Sinha, and IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers, who was summoned by the civil aviation ministry to provide an update on the ordeal.

The government crackdown came despite IndiGo's assertions that its operations are now running smoothly.

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"The ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations. "A curtailment of 10 per cent has been ordered. While abiding by it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," IndiGo said in a post on X.

"IndiGo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception," it added.

Confirming the same, Civil Aviation Minister Naidu on X wrote that "A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before".

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From December 2 to 9, Indigo encountered severe operational disruptions after the government implemented flight duty time regulations, requiring longer rest periods for pilots and crew. IndiGo’s previously frozen hiring left it short-staffed, leading to over 1,000 flight cancellations in three days, triggering crowding across the airports and thousands of passengers stranded.