Centre flags IndiGo’s inability to operate approved schedule, orders a 10% cut in operations
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu with IndiGo Chief Executive Pieter Elbers
New Delhi
The Centre has directed IndiGo to reduce its flight schedule by 10 per cent across sectors to help stabilise the airline’s operations and reduce cancellations.
According to Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, a curtailment of 10 per cent has been ordered.
The Minister said on his X handle that while complying with the directive, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before.
Meanwhile, Naidu reviewed IndiGo’s ongoing recovery efforts with IndiGo Chief Executive Pieter Elbers following recent operational disruptions.
Elbers was summoned to the Ministry of Civil Aviation to provide a detailed status report.
As per Naidu, Elbers confirmed that 100 per cent of the refunds for flights affected till December 6 have been completed.
The Minister stated that strict instructions were issued to expedite the completion of the remaining refunds and baggage handover. He said IndiGo has been instructed to comply with all directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures, without any exception.
Additionally, top executives of all other domestic airlines were called to the Ministry to discuss air fare caps and schedules. “The present situation with regard to flight cancellations, air fares etc was discussed,” sources said.
At present, IndiGo operates flights to 138 destinations. On Tuesday, it operated over 1,800 flights. Prior to the crisis, the airline operated around 2,300 flights.
In addition, it has been granted approvals to operate 15,014 flights per week during the Winter Schedule of 2025.
Winter schedule
The Ministry of Civil Aviation directed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to curtail IndiGo’s ‘Winter Schedule’ by a minimum 10 per cent.
Earlier in the day, DGCA had directed IndiGo to reduce its flight schedule by 5 per cent across sectors, especially high-demand routes.
In the notification, the DGCA had asked the airline to avoid flights on high-demand, high-frequency routes and single-flight sectors.
The regulator had instructed the airline to submit a revised flight schedule by 5 p.m. on December 10, 2025.
The DGCA notice stated that IndiGo was allowed a six per cent enhancement in its Winter Schedule 2025 compared with the Summer Schedule 2025, with 403 aircraft allocated versus 351 earlier.
Nevertheless, the airline operated only 339 aircraft in October and 344 in November.
The DGCA inferred that while IndiGo increased its departures by 9.66 per cent over Winter Schedule 2024 and by 6.05 per cent over Summer Schedule 2025, it had not demonstrated the capability to operate the enhanced schedule efficiently.
On Tuesday afternoon, Naidu informed Parliament that IndiGo’s operations are stabilising, while other airlines are functioning normally.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the Minister said IndiGo’s flights, which dropped to 706 on December 5, have recovered to over 1,800 and are expected to rise further.
On IndiGo’s part, Elbers said the airline’s operations are back on track after a week-long flight disruption.
Elbers said the airline has optimised its operations and on time performance is back to normal levels.
Published on December 9, 2025
