IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has been experiencing a series of major operational disruptions in recent weeks.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has been experiencing a series of major operational disruptions in recent weeks, resulting in numerous delays, cancellations, and frustrated passengers across the country. The recent significant disruption to IndiGo flights was primarily caused by the airline’s failure to prepare for and comply with new, stricter pilot rest regulations (Flight Duty Time Limitations or FDTL), which came into effect on November 1, 2025. Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has issued a big statement in the midst of this chaos. CEO Pieter Elbers on Sunday announced that the airline is recovering from recent disruptions and aims to operate about 1,650 flights to address significant cancellations and delays caused by new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules
What major announcement did the Aviation Ministry make regarding passenger relief?
Furthermore, the airline has processed refunds totalling Rs 610 crore so far against cancelled or severely delayed flights, and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across the country as of Saturday, the government said on Sunday. In addition, it also stated the aviation network is moving swiftly towards full normalcy, and all corrective measures will remain in place until operations stabilise entirely.
On Saturday, the government also mandated that the Airline finalise the refund policy for cancelled flights by Sunday evening, and deliver any baggage that was separated from passengers within 48 hours of being separated.
Moreover, the Civil Aviation Ministry advised that all baggage separated from passengers due to flight cancellations or delays be traced and delivered within 48 hours following separation. Releasing a press release, the aviation ministry stated,” IndiGo has so far processed refunds totalling Rs 610 crore. No additional fees are permitted for rescheduling travel impacted by cancellations. Dedicated support cells have been created to proactively assist passengers so that refund and rebooking issues are resolved without delay or inconvenience.”
“The Ministry has also instructed IndiGo to trace and deliver all baggage separated from passengers due to disruptions within 48 hours. Continuous communication is mandated throughout the process. With this push, IndiGo has successfully delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across India as of yesterday,” the statement further reads.
“Continuous communication is mandated throughout the process. With this push, IndiGo has successfully delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across India as of Saturday,” it added.
Stating that the ministry has taken rapid and decisive steps to address the disruption caused by the recent IndiGo operational crisis and to ensure that passengers do not face continued inconvenience, it said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.
When will IndiGo’s flight operations stabilise, according to CEO Pieter Elbers?
All other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo’s performance has shown steady improvement on Sunday, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels, the government said. The press release further stated that IndiGo’s flight operations have increased from 706 on Friday to 1,565 on Saturday and are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of Sunday.
As part of its return to normalcy following issues with new pilot rest rules that caused cancellations, Elbers conveyed a message of “step by step, we’re getting back,” thanking staff and assuring customers that ongoing efforts are underway to restore full service.In a video message from the airline’s operational control centre at Gurugram, IndiGo CEO said, “In my earlier messages, I conveyed we would be rebooting the system on Friday, take a significant number of cancellations and start afresh on Saturday. That has worked well, with some 1,500 flights operated yesterday compared to only 700ish on Friday. Also, we have been able to execute cancellations earlier, so customers don’t show up at the airport if their flights are cancelled. It gives us all the confidence that step by step, we’re getting back.
