IndiGo Crisis: DGCA Orders Major Cut To Airline’s Winter Schedule; Routes To Be Reassigned To Smaller Carriers

IndiGo Flight Chaos: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has crackdown on IndiGo following chaos at airports nationwide. The aviation regulator has slashed the airline's winter flight schedule by 5 per cent, a move that means a reduction of approximately 110 daily domestic and international flights, out of IndiGo’s approximately 2,200 daily operations.

Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed that some of IndiGo's routes will now be reassigned to smaller carriers to ensure continuous passenger service. This comes against the backdrop of nationwide cancellations triggered by IndiGo's inability to effectively manage both revised crew duty norms and its recent surge in flight operations, news agency ANI reported.

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DGCA Cites 9.66% Expansion, 5,000 Flight Shortfall

A formal notice issued by the country’s aviation regulator, DGCA, revealed that IndiGo had increased its departures by 9.66 per cent for the Winter Schedule 2025 compared to the same period the previous year. Despite a significant increase in departures, the airline struggled to operate flights efficiently, resulting in widespread cancellations.

The regulator noted that for November 2025, while IndiGo had approval for 64,346 flights, the airline only managed to operate 59,438 flights, a shortfall of nearly 5,000 flights. The month also registered a staggering 951 cancellations.

Despite having approval to operate 403 aircraft in the winter season, the airline could only deploy 339 aircraft in October and 344 in November.

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“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.

As a corrective measure, the DGCA has ordered IndiGo to reduce its winter schedule by 5 per cent across sectors. The order emphasises curtailing operations on high-demand and high-frequency routes, where recent cancellations have caused the most significant passenger inconvenience.

The airline has been mandated to submit a revised, reduced schedule to the regulator by 5 PM on December 10.