Crackdown After Chaos: Centre Slashes IndiGo's Winter Schedule By 5%

The Centre's crackdown against IndiGo for the chaos at airports across the country has begun. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the country's aviation regulator, has slashed IndiGo's winter schedule, reducing the number of flights by 5 per cent. IndiGo operates about 2,200 domestic and international flights daily. So this means a reduction of 110-odd flights daily. The slots freed due to this would be given to other airlines, the government has said.

The DGCA's notification said that the winter schedule approved for IndiGo was examined against the backdrop of last week's crisis, during which hundreds of IndiGo flights were cancelled daily, and thousands of passengers were stranded.

"It was observed that, as per the Winter Schedule (WS) 2025 issued by DGCA, 15,014 departures per week were approved for M/s Indigo, amounting to 64,346 flights approved for the month of November 2025. Whereas, as per the operational data submitted by Indigo, it has been observed that 59,438 flights were actually operated during November 2025, with 951 flight cancellations recorded during the month," the notification said.

"Whereas, as compared to SS25. Indigo was allowed an enhancement of the schedule by 6% with 403 aircraft as against 351 aircraft in SS25. However, it has been observed that the airline could operate only 339 aircraft in October 2025 and 344 aircraft in November 2025.

From the above, it is inferred that Indigo has increased its departures by 9.66% in comparison to Winter Schedule 24 (WS 24) and by 6.05% in relation to Summer Schedule 25 (SS 25). However, the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently. Therefore, it is directed to reduce the schedule by 5% across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by Indigo," it said.

Earlier, Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu had warned of exemplary action against the airline. Naidu told the Rajya Sabha yesterday that the cancellation of hundreds of flights over the past week was the result of IndiGo's "internal crisis" after the new passenger safety norms came into force. "We care for pilots, crew and passengers. We made it clear to all the airlines. IndiGo was supposed to manage the crew and roster. Passengers faced a lot of difficulties. We are not taking the situation lightly. We will take strict action. We will set an example for every airline. If there is any non-compliance, we will take action," he told the House. The government, he said, has initiated a thorough inquiry into the matter.

The minister also said the government wants more players in the aviation sector and that the country has the potential to have five major airlines. The Opposition, however, was not happy with the minister's response and staged a walkout.

The minister's remarks and the DGCA's action follow several days of chaos, confusion and heartbreak at airports across the country as hundreds of IndiGo flights were cancelled, upending wedding plans, holidays and professional commitments.

At the centre of the chaos were new flight safety rules that the government announced nearly two years ago. These rules focused on tackling pilot fatigue, a key factor behind plane accidents, by increasing downtime. The implementation of the rules required airlines to recruit more pilots.

IndiGo, which runs 2,200 flights daily and has traditionally focused on minimising downtime, fell short of crew as the new rules kicked in. This led to hundreds of cancellations and an ordeal for passengers. As the situation spiralled out of control, the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, temporarily relaxed the new norms.