India has stepped in to control airline fares as chaos continues at major airports, with hundreds of passengers stranded outside Bengaluru and Mumbai terminals after 385 IndiGo flights were cancelled on the fifth straight day of disruption.
This week has been turbulent for air travel across the country. Thousands of IndiGo flights have been scrapped since Monday, forcing the government to introduce special relief measures and even deploy additional trains to ease the passenger backlog.
The sudden shortage of IndiGo flights triggered a sharp rise in airfares on competing airlines along key routes. To control the surge and maintain stability, the government announced a temporary cap on domestic airfares, though the specific limits have not yet been revealed.
“The Ministry will continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines,” the government said in a statement. The last time India capped airfares was during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
For IndiGo, this marks the most severe crisis in its 20-year history—a brand long admired for reliability, on-time arrivals, and low-cost accessibility.
A Planning Failure That Escalated Nationwide
IndiGo acknowledged it did not adequately prepare for the stricter aviation norms that came into force on November 1, including tighter rules on night flying and mandatory weekly rest periods for pilots. The lack of planning led to widespread scheduling breakdowns.
On Friday alone, over 1,000 flights were cancelled. Following the government’s decision to offer temporary exemptions to IndiGo, the airline announced it expects to restore normal operations between December 10 and 15.
Delhi airport shared an update saying flight operations are gradually stabilising, though several IndiGo routes remain impacted.
Sources at major airports revealed today’s cancellation breakdown:
- Bengaluru: 124 flights
- Mumbai: 109 flights
- New Delhi: 86 flights
- Hyderabad: 66 flights
Outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports, crowds of confused and exhausted passengers waited for updates, many unaware that their flights had been called off until they arrived at the airport.
Satish Konde, who was connecting from Mumbai to Nagpur, shared his frustration after learning his flight was cancelled post check-in. “I am waiting for my luggage to be returned,” he told Reuters.
In contrast, other major Indian carriers such as Air India and Akasa have not reported cancellations tied to the updated pilot regulations.
