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As IndiGo flight cancellations continued, the Central government stepped in on Sunday to soothe passenger woes. It directed IndiGo to refund ticket money for all cancelled flights and introduced caps on airfares. The development follows skyrocketing flight ticket prices in the wake of the IndiGo flight delays and cancellations.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation said it has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares, and invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes in order to “protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing.” The caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises, the Ministry added.
“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,” the Ministry said in its notification.
“The Ministry will 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.
Earlier, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said that the Central Government is fully alert to the woes of air passengers and is in constant consultation with all stakeholders.
IndiGo accounts for over 60 per cent of domestic passenger traffic. With widespread cancellations and disruptions,flights to major cities during the weekend saw ticket prices as high as Rs 76,863 (Air India Delhi to Goa), Rs 60,715 (Air India Delhi to Chennai) and Rs 48,463 (Akasa Air Delhi to Bangalore).
The Ministry of Civil Aviation has also directed the airline to clear all pending passenger refunds by 8:00 pm on Sunday (December 7). “Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected,” the Ministry said.
To ensure seamless grievance redressal, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has instructed IndiGo to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells, and to ensure that all baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to their residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours.
Flight cancellations continued nationwide on Saturday, despite India’s largest domestic airline managing to temporarily secure major relaxations in the second phase of the court-mandated new flight duty and rest period norms for the cockpit crew on the previous day.
Over 400 IndiGo flights cancellations were announced from four major airports till Saturday afternoon. Bengaluru, Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad reported the majority of cancellations in the country.
Bengaluru airport reported the highest number of cancellations, with 124 flights scrapped (63 departures and 61 arrivals), while Mumbai airport faced 109 cancellations (51 departures and 58 arrivals). Delhi airport’s figure stood at 106 (54 departures and 52 arrivals), and Hyderabad airport witnessed 66 flight cancellations.
In addition to this, Pune and Chennai reported 42 and 48 cancellations, respectively.
Earlier on Saturday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu said an inquiry has been launched into the IndiGo flights fiasco and those responsible will “pay for it.”
Naidu added that the Centre is observing the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that triggered the cancellation spree.
