IndiGo ordered to cut 5% flights; cancels 500 flights on Tuesday
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New Delhi/Mumbai: Aviation regulator DGCA has ordered IndiGo to cut its planned flights by 5 per cent on high-capacity routes during winter, as it looked to bring some order at India's biggest airline, which cancelled thousands of flights nationwide after failing to plan for tighter safety regulations, PTI reported.
IndiGo has cancelled 500 flights on Tuesday alone.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in the December 8 order, asked IndiGo to submit a revised schedule by Wednesday.
As part of the winter schedule for 2025-26, the airline has been operating over 2,200 flights per day.
The latest order is part of a suite of actions by authorities that followed IndiGo, which controls over 65 per cent of the market share, cancelling more than 4,000 flights since December 2 that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, upending their vacation plans, important meetings and weddings.
DGCA, which previously issued a show cause notice to IndiGo's chief executive and chief operating officer to explain the disruptions, has set up a four-member panel to probe the lapses.
The regulator, in the fresh notice, said that IndiGo's winter schedule shows that the airline has increased its departures by 9.66 per cent from last year, while the same relation to its summer schedule is set to rise by 6.05 per cent.
"However, the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently," the notice said.
"Therefore, it is directed to reduce the schedule by 5 per cent across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by IndiGo."
In the Lok Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said no airline, however large, will be permitted to cause hardship to passengers through planning failures and non-compliance with regulations.
"Strict and appropriate action will be taken," the minister said.
The minister said the DGCA has already issued notices to IndiGo and that the airline is being held fully accountable for the chaos caused by its internal crew-rostering failures.