Indigo refunds Rs 610 crore to flyers days after cancellation chaos, flight operations returning to normal

IndiGo is on track to normalise its flight operations again after almost a week of major disruptions across the country. The Civil Aviation Ministry said on Sunday that the airline has processed refunds of ₹610 crore and returned 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers who were affected.

IndiGo normally operates about 2,300 flights a day, but managed over 1,500 flights on Saturday and plans around 1,650 flights on Sunday, reconnecting 135 out of its 138 destinations. CEO Pieter Elbers said that the airline’s on-time performance is now 75%, and that cancelling flights earlier helped avoid crowding at airports. IndiGo expects to fully stabilise operations by December 10.

The recovery comes as the airline faces strong criticism and government action. Congress leader P. Chidambaram called the situation a major failure of both IndiGo’s management and the Civil Aviation Ministry. The DGCA has also issued notices to CEO Pieter Elbers and another senior official, Isidro Porqueras, over serious operational failures.

The chaos was so severe that special trains had to be run to help stranded travellers. The Ministry said it is working quickly to reduce inconvenience and rebuild trust in India’s largest airline.

Officials said that air travel across India is returning to normal, with other airlines running smoothly at full capacity and IndiGo improving steadily. Because ticket prices shot up due to cancelled flights, the Ministry has put a cap on airfares to ensure fair and affordable pricing. Airlines have been ordered to strictly follow this rule, and prices on affected routes have now dropped to normal levels.