New Delhi: In the wake of widespread flight cancellations by IndiGo that triggered significant travel disruptions across the country, the Central Government has initiated strict corrective measures. The Ministry of Civil Aviation has decided to cut back the additional winter-schedule flight slots previously allotted to IndiGo. These curtailed routes are now expected to be reassigned to other airlines.
IndiGo, which operates the largest fleet in India and commands nearly 70% of the domestic aviation market, has been grappling with extensive operational failures — prompting decisive intervention from the Centre.
Confirming the development in an interview with Doordarshan on Monday night, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said:
“We will reduce IndiGo’s routes. They currently operate around 2,200 flights a day, and that number will be brought down.”
The ministry is currently assessing which specific routes will be trimmed.
Review Meeting and Ground-Level Assessments
On Monday (December 8), Minister Ram Mohan Naidu convened a detailed review meeting with senior officials from all concerned departments to assess IndiGo’s ongoing crisis.
As part of the follow-up, Deputy Secretaries from the Ministry will conduct on-ground inspections at various airports across India on Tuesday to directly understand the “ground zero” situation. Officials may also hold a comprehensive sector-wide meeting to examine preparedness and operational stability across all airlines, not just IndiGo.
According to a News18 report, senior government officials and representatives of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) are expected to meet IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers at around 11 a.m. to take stock of the carrier’s recent lapses.
What the Government’s Action Means
India’s aviation sector functions on seasonal schedules — summer and winter. In view of IndiGo’s dominant market share, the carrier was granted a higher number of winter-season flights this year.
However, with repeated large-scale disruptions, the government has decided to roll back these additional allocations. The withdrawn routes will be redistributed among other airlines to ensure continuity of services and maintain operational equilibrium in the sector.
IndiGo’s Response
Responding to the DGCA’s show-cause notice, IndiGo expressed regret over last week’s nationwide disruptions. The airline attributed the crisis to a combination of “unfortunate and unexpected” operational challenges occurring simultaneously.
It also stated that given the scale of its operations, identifying the precise cause of the failures immediately is not feasible, and that more time is required to complete a comprehensive root-cause analysis. IndiGo has assured authorities that a detailed report will be submitted once the analysis is finalised.
However, in a written reply in the Rajya Sabha, Minister Ram Mohan Naidu asserted that the disruptions stemmed mainly from IndiGo’s rostering failures, which led to a complete operational breakdown. He added that the ongoing inquiry would set a benchmark for accountability across the aviation sector.
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