Govt Orders IndiGo to Cut 10% of Flights; CEO Summoned as Disruptions Mount

India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has directed IndiGo to slash its flight schedule by at least 10%, doubling the earlier 5% curtailment ordered by aviation regulator DGCA, after a week of mass cancellations and delays that crippled air travel across the country.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu conveyed the decision on Tuesday after summoning IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to review stabilisation efforts. “The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes… which will help stabilise operations,” Naidu said, adding that the airline must continue serving all existing destinations.

With a 65% domestic market share and over 2,300 daily flights, the order means IndiGo’s domestic operations will drop from roughly 2,150 to below 1,950 flights a day. Officials said the freed-up slots may be temporarily offered to other airlines that have surplus capacity.

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Govt Warns of ‘Internal Mismanagement’; Refunds Monitored

Naidu said the disruptions caused “severe inconvenience” to passengers and stemmed from IndiGo’s mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and communication lapses.

He said Elbers had confirmed that all refunds for flights disrupted till December 6 had been processed, with strict instructions issued to speed up remaining refunds and baggage handovers.

Earlier in the day, IndiGo claimed operations had “stabilised,” saying it flew over 1,800 flights on Tuesday and expected to operate around 1,900 flights on Wednesday, with on-time performance back above 80%. However, the ministry’s latest cutback will delay its attempt to restore full operations.

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DGCA Revises Order; Further Cuts Possible

The DGCA, which had initially ordered a 5% reduction—roughly 110–115 flights—revised its directive to reflect the ministry’s 10% mandate. IndiGo was asked to submit its truncated winter schedule by Wednesday evening.

Regulatory sources said further rationalisation remains a possibility, depending on how the airline performs day to day.

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Crew Shortages, New FDTL Rules Trigger Collapse

IndiGo has struggled since November 1, when the second phase of India’s updated Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms came into force. The rules mandate higher pilot rest hours and restrict late-night duties to reduce fatigue.

The airline underestimated the crew required to meet the new standards, leading to cascading cancellations in November. IndiGo reported 1,232 cancellations last month—755 linked directly to crew and FDTL constraints.

Pilot associations had already questioned the DGCA’s decision to allow IndiGo to expand its winter schedule to 15,014 weekly domestic flights, despite concerns about manpower adequacy.

Facing nationwide chaos, DGCA granted IndiGo a temporary rollback of certain night-operations rules for A320 pilots until February 10, along with a few other relaxations.

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Regulator Issues Show-Cause Notices; Inquiry Underway

The DGCA has initiated a formal inquiry and issued show-cause notices to Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras. The minister has warned of “strict action” to set an example, insisting airlines had sufficient time to prepare for the FDTL rollout.

IndiGo has responded that pinpointing a single cause is “not realistically possible” given operational complexity but admitted that disruptions stemmed from a combination of:

1. Minor technical glitches

2. Winter schedule adjustments

3. Weather issues

4. System-wide congestion

5. Implementation challenges under updated crew rostering rules

IndiGo also told DGCA it had been seeking variations and exemptions for months, and disruptions in early December compounded into a full-scale network failure due to reduced crew availability.

DGCA said it is reviewing the airline’s explanation and will take “appropriate action in due course.”

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Bottom Line

The unprecedented government intervention signals deep concern over the vulnerabilities exposed in India’s aviation system. With its dominant market share and tight scheduling model, IndiGo’s week-long collapse triggered widespread disruption, forcing authorities to step in aggressively as peak winter travel picks up.