IndiGo on Sunday moved closer to restoring its regular schedule after six days of nationwide flight disruptions, saying it expected to operate more than 1,650 flights and reconnect 137 of its 138 destinations. The airline, which usually runs over 2,300 daily flights, has now brought about 71% of its network back.
The airline also advanced its expected stabilisation timeline, projecting that its network should settle by December 10, earlier than the December 10–15 window indicated previously. The improvement comes on the heels of thousands of cancellations during the past week, which left passengers facing delays, lost baggage and mounting uncertainty.
Passenger Redressal
Meanwhile, the ministry of civil aviation said that IndiGo has processed Rs 610 crore in refunds so far and had been instructed to complete all remaining refunds for cancelled or severely delayed flights by 8 pm on Sunday. The ministry also directed the airline not to levy additional charges on passengers needing to reschedule trips affected by the disruptions, calling the directive necessary to ensure passengers were not left bearing extra losses.
The ministry has mandated that all separated baggage be traced and delivered within 48 hours. IndiGo said it had reunited about 3,000 pieces of luggage with passengers as of Saturday and that recovery efforts were continuing across airports.
IndiGo reported a 75% on-time performance (OTP) on Sunday compared with Saturday’s sharply lower figure. The airline put Saturday’s OTP at 30%, though ministry data recorded it at 20%. IndiGo said it has started cancelling flights earlier in the planning cycle, allowing more timely communication to passengers. Refund processing and baggage recovery, it added, are fully underway for both direct and agency bookings.
Board Intervention and Regulatory Scrutiny Accelerate Recovery
Meanwhile, the airline’s board has stepped in with deeper oversight, setting up a crisis management group comprising Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, board members Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker and Amitabh Kant, and CEO Pieter Elbers. The group has been meeting frequently to monitor the situation, receiving continuous updates from management and taking charge of passenger-facing decisions, including refunds and waiver policies. The airline said the CMG is also coordinating with airport operators, the aviation ministry and the regulator as it works to restore normal operations as quickly as practically possible.
The intensified board involvement follows regulatory action. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidro Porqueras on Saturday, seeking explanations within 24 hours for the wide-scale operational collapse. The DGCA has asked for a detailed recovery plan along with fortnightly progress reports. To help the airline regain capacity more quickly, the regulator has granted a one-time relaxation of certain night-duty and Flight Duty Time Limitation norms. Separately, the civil aviation ministry has capped economy-class fares on affected routes after prices surged amid widespread cancellations.