Indigo flights cut by 10%, will air fares increase now? , Answers to 10 important questions. india news

Last updated:December 10, 2025, 09:01 IST

What does the 10% reduction in flights mean for IndiGo and its distressed passengers? Will its competitors benefit from this order? And how will this affect your air ticket fare?

Civil Aviation Ministry has asked to cut the scheme by 10 percent indigo flights — double what aviation regulator DGCA had ordered on Monday — to help restore order at India’s largest airline, which has canceled thousands of flights across the country in recent days after failing to plan for tighter safety rules.

On Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu posted a photo of IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers sitting with folded hands in front of him. “The ministry considers it necessary to reduce the overall IndiGo routes, which will help stabilize the airline’s operations and reduce cancellations. A reduction of 10% has been ordered. Following this, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before,” Naidu said on Twitter.

So what does the 10% cut in flights mean for IndiGo and its beleaguered passengers? Will its competitors benefit from this order? And how will this affect your air ticket fare?

Why did the government take such strict action against Indigo?

The order is a part of the actions taken by the authorities after IndiGo, which controls over 65% of the market share, canceled over 4,000 flights since December 2, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, disrupting their holiday plans, important meetings and weddings. The airline has reportedly been found wanting to properly plan for the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, which mandate longer rest periods for pilots and airline crew, leaving less staff available to operate flights. The new rules came into effect on November 1, but IndiGo reportedly did not update its roster in time, leading to a sudden and severe shortage of pilots, leading to mass cancellation of flights.

What does 10% cut in Indigo flights mean?

The order means that IndiGo will now have to cancel at least 10% of its scheduled flights. As part of the winter schedule for 2025-26, the airline is operating more than 2,200 flights per day, including around 2,150 domestic flights. After the 10% cut, IndiGo’s daily domestic flights will come down to less than 1,950, which means around 200 to 220 flights will be reduced every day. The aim is to ensure that IndiGo does not commit to operating flights beyond its current capacity, and runs its remaining network smoothly with the resources it has.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had earlier ordered carriers to cut their flights by 5%, which meant reducing daily flights to around 115, especially on high-demand routes. But within hours the Civil Aviation Ministry doubled this cut to 10% and asked DGCA to update its notice and issue a strict notice to IndiGo.

Why was Indigo CEO called?

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in his meeting with IndiGo CEO Peter Albers, is understood to have raised the serious suffering and chaos caused to passengers last week, citing the airline’s internal mismanagement, crew roster problems and poor communication. According to reports, Albers informed the minister that all affected passengers had been given refunds by December 6, after which he requested for the remaining refunds as well as distribution of passengers’ lost luggage.

Earlier in the day, Naidu had said in the Lok Sabha that no airline, no matter how big, would be allowed to cause hardship to passengers through planning failures and non-compliance with rules.

What does Indigo have to say about itself?

The airline, on its part, said the entire network is continuously improving and it has resumed flights to all 138 stations. IndiGo said in a statement that it operated more than 1,800 flights on Tuesday, which will reach around 1,900 on Wednesday. This number is now likely to change after the government ordered a 10% reduction in flights.

Before meeting the civil aviation minister, Albers said in a video message on Twitter that the airline was back on its feet, and operations were stable.

He said, “IndiGo is back on its feet and our operations are stable. We disappointed you when there was a major operational disruption and we are sorry for that.” “Earlier, we had indicated a return to normal between December 10-15. I can now confirm that as of today, December 9, our operations are fully stable, which means the flights visible on our website are scheduled to operate with an adjusted network.”

What is the real reason for IndiGo flight cancellations and disruptions?

For decades, IndiGo relied on aggressive scheduling and maximum night-flight utilization – a business model that collapsed when strict safety regulations were imposed, which increased the mandatory weekly rest period for pilots and sharply reduced allowable night-landings and any extended night-duty hours.

The result was disastrous: on-time performance fell, hundreds of flights were canceled daily, and major airports saw chaos with stranded passengers, overloaded terminals, and long queues.

IndiGo has said that increasing congestion in the aviation system, implementation of pilot rest rules from November 1, minor technical glitches and adverse weather are behind these disruptions. It operated more than 2,200 flights a day before the travel chaos hit.

Why is the government calling it ‘the first severe punishment’?

The order to reduce flights by 10% is unprecedented as it is the first such direct punishment from the government. Earlier, DGCA used to give only instructions and warnings. With its latest order, the government has made it clear that any airline that fails to follow strict safety rules to the inconvenience of passengers will have to face financial and operational losses. For a company like IndiGo with 65 percent market share, cutting more than 200 flights daily is a big blow.

Will IndiGo rival benefit from this order?

Yes! The slots vacated by IndiGo’s reduction in flights can be given to other airlines if they have spare capacity to operate additional flights. Airlines like Air India, Akasa and SpiceJet may benefit, although they too were forced to cut their winter schedules.

Can things get worse for Indigo?

DGCA has issued a show cause notice to the CEO and COO of IndiGo and constituted a special investigation panel. If the airline is found guilty of serious lapses, it could mean heavy fines, more operational restrictions or even loss of future slots.

What does this mean for travelers?

For passengers, this means that IndiGo will have fewer flights for the next few days, but the flights that will operate should be more stable and on time. According to the government, running fewer flights means IndiGo has an opportunity to restore service quality and avoid frequent cancellations.

Does this mean that airfares will increase?

The reduction of around 200 daily IndiGo flights will temporarily reduce capacity in the domestic market – especially on popular metro routes where the airline dominates. Typically, when supply decreases but demand remains stable, air travel becomes expensive. According to aviation experts, next week may see a short-term rise in spot fares and last-minute ticket prices as passengers compete for fewer seats on busy routes like Delhi-Mumbai, Bengaluru-Mumbai, Chennai-Hyderabad and other high-traffic areas.

However, a sustained surge in fares is unlikely unless other airlines are unable or unwilling to increase capacity. If Air India, Akasa or SpiceJet step in to operate some of the vacant slots, the supply gap may narrow, thereby mitigating any significant price increase. A lot will also depend on how long IndiGo’s schedule cuts continue. If airlines quickly stabilize operations and resume flights, fare changes could return to normal just as quickly.

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