New Delhi: The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has intensified its intervention in the ongoing IndiGo operational crisis, issuing a stringent directive to the airline to settle all pending passenger refunds by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025. The Ministry has warned that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will attract immediate regulatory action.
The directive comes as the nation’s largest carrier continues to grapple with a high volume of cancellations, which reportedly exceeded 1,000 flights on Friday and remain substantial on Saturday, causing chaos at major airports across the country.
To protect passengers from opportunistic pricing, the MoCA has invoked its regulatory powers to impose emergency fare caps on all airlines operating on affected routes. This move follows reports of airfares skyrocketing to over ₹80,000 to ₹1,00,000 on high-demand sectors like Delhi-Mumbai and Kolkata-Mumbai as stranded travellers rushed to book alternative tickets. The Ministry stated that the fare caps are intended to maintain pricing discipline and ensure that citizens requiring urgent travel, including senior citizens, students, and patients, are not subjected to financial hardship. These caps will remain in force until the operational situation fully stabilises.
Furthermore, airlines have been instructed not to charge any rescheduling fees from passengers whose travel plans were disrupted by the cancellations. IndiGo has also been mandated to establish dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells to proactively contact affected travellers and ensure that both refunds and alternative travel arrangements are processed without requiring multiple follow-ups.
On the issue of baggage, the Ministry has directed IndiGo to trace and deliver all baggage separated from passengers due to the disruptions to their chosen addresses within the next 48 hours. Clear communication regarding tracking and compensation, where applicable under existing passenger rights regulations, has been made mandatory. The MoCA has reaffirmed its commitment to a “zero-inconvenience policy” and is closely monitoring the recovery process to restore full operational normalcy at the earliest.