The Centre on Saturday took two big measures to contain the worsening IndiGo crisis after the airline cancelled over a thousand of its flights in five days leaving passengers clueless. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has asked the airline to complete the refund process to all the affected passengers by Sunday, 8 pm, and not levy any charges on the rescheduling of travel plans.
This comes as IndiGo continues to ground its place across all the airports in the country due to the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which were withdrawn by the airline on Friday. The IndiGo said the norms relating to pilots’ roster led to the shortage and the situation would be 100 per cent normal by February 10, 2026.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the ministry is engaging with the airline and working on a solution to help passengers. Now, the fresh order by the ministry seeks refund from IndiGo by 8 pm on Sunday (December 7).
Govt’s deadline for refund and baggage
In an official release, the MoCA said it has directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay. It mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025.
“Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations. The Ministry has clarified that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite immediate regulatory action,” the statement read.
The ministry also asked the IndiGo to ensure that all baggage that was separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger’s residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours. Airlines have also been told to maintain clear communication with passengers regarding tracking and delivery timelines, and to provide compensation where required under existing passenger rights regulations. `
Centre regulates air fare
Amid the cancellation of flights by the country’s largest carrier, the airfares rose up to Rs 1 lakh for few routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Delhi-Bengaluru etc. To lessen the pressure from the customer, the ministry took a serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares and in order to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes.
According to the directive, the airlines cannot charge over Rs 7,500 for a distance of up to 500 km; Rs 12,000 for distance 500 km -1000 km; Rs 15,000 for 1000-1500 km and Rs 18,000 for above 1500 km.
“An official directive has been issued to all airlines mandating strict adherence to the fare caps that have now been prescribed. These caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises. The objective of this directive is to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress, and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel — including senior citizens, students, and patients — are not subjected to financial hardship during this period,” it said.
The Ministry said it would continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms. Any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action in the larger public interest, it added.
