Mumbai, Dec 09: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered IndiGo to reduce its winter schedule operations by 10%, amounting to around 214 flights daily — an unprecedented regulatory move following days of mass flight disruptions that have severely impacted passenger traffic across the country. The airline claimed that it had stabilised its operations with over 1,800 flight operations and normalised its on-time performance.
DGCA Seeks Curtailment Amid Disruptions
While the DGCA is yet to announce any penalty against IndiGo for its severe operational mismanagement over the past week, it has ordered the curtailment of the airline’s winter schedule operations across sectors.
The aviation regulator directed the airline to reduce the number of operations in its winter schedule, spanning from October 26 to March 28, especially on high-demand and high-frequency flights. It has also asked the airline to avoid single-flight operations on a sector.
Capacity-Performance Mismatch Cited
The DGCA examined IndiGo’s winter schedule against the airline’s nationwide flight disruptions and raised concerns about its operational capability. According to the schedule, IndiGo was allowed operational enhancement of 6% in the winter schedule with 403 aircraft, in comparison to this year’s summer schedule where it operated 351 aircraft. However, the regulator observed that the airline could operate only 339 aircraft in October and 344 in November.
Departure Ramp-Up Failed to Match Actual Output
Moreover, IndiGo increased its departures in the winter schedule by 9.66% in comparison to the same period last year and 6.05% in comparison to this year’s summer schedule. IndiGo was allowed to operate 64,346 flights in November but was able to operate only 59,438 flights, amounting to 951 cancellations in a month.
Regulator Imposes 5–10% Cut After Review Meeting
The civil aviation watchdog stated that IndiGo has not “demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently” and imposed curtailment on its operations. The curtailment was increased from 5% to 10% later by evening after the civil aviation ministry’s meeting with IndiGo’s top executives, including CEO Pieter Elbers. The airline has been asked to submit a revised winter schedule by 5 pm on Wednesday.
Penalties Likely if Issues Persist
According to sources, the proportion of this curtailment can increase amid the ongoing investigation into the airline’s severe mismanagement, along with punitive action including fines.
Slots to Be Reallocated to Other Airlines
The Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu confirmed the move in the Lok Sabha and said that the freed slots will be allotted to other carriers to ensure continuity of passenger services.
“No airline, however large, will be allowed to cause such hardships to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance or non-adherence to statutory provisions,” he said, adding that IndiGo has been directed to restructure its operations at reserve crew capacity.
IndiGo Says Operations Stabilising
On the other hand, IndiGo's operations showed signs of stabilising, though a significant number of cancellations and delays persisted at key hubs. The airline’s CEO Pieter Elbers announced that the airline was “back on its feet” with stable operations.
It stated that the airline was set to operate more than 1,800 flights on Tuesday, around 300 less than its usual operations, and plans to operate nearly 1,900 flights on Wednesday. Elbers claimed that all the pending refunds for flights affected till December 6 were completed.
Over 7.3 Lakh Refunds Processed
According to MoCA, IndiGo has been able to provide refunds for over 7.30 lakh flight tickets cancelled between December 1 and 8.
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“IndiGo can confirm that after days of significant and steady improvement across the network, we have reinstated our operations across our network. This means all flights published on our website are scheduled to operate with an adjusted network. Also, nearly all bags that were stuck at airports have been delivered to our customers and the teams are working on delivering the remaining at the earliest,” said the airline’s spokesperson.
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