IndiGo flight cancellations highlights: DGCA says IndiGo 'profusely' apologetic, deeply regrets cancellation chaos

IndiGo flights cancelled highlights: Luggage of passengers piled up at the Indira Gandhi International Airport amid IndiGo flight disruptions, in New Delhi, Monday, Dec. 8, 2025.

IndiGo flights cancelled highlights: Crisis-hit IndiGo Airlines cited “compounding effect of multiple factors” as the reason for unprecedented level of mass cancellation of flights since last week that pushed airports across the country into chaos as thousands of passengers were left high and dry. IndiGo Airlines said this in response to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA)'s show-cause notice.

The DGCA also said that IndiGo Airlines is "profusely" apologetic and deeply regrets inconvenience and hardship caused to customers due to the continued cancellation and delays of the flights since last Tuesday. This statement comes after DGCA's updated deadline to respond to the show-cause notice

The DGCA had extended the deadline to respond on the notice only until 6pm on 8 December and had made it clear that no further extensions would be allowed.

Amid the ongoing spate of operational disruptions that affected India's largest carrier for seventh day on Monday, IndiGo CEO Piter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidro Proqueras are likely to be summoned on Wednesday by the four-member probe panel set up by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) as part of the investigations in the IndiGo flight disruptions.

Crisis-hit IndiGo Airlines has said it operated over 1,800 flights on Monday, as compared to 1,650 flights yesterday as India's largest carrier inches towards stabilisation after a week of mass cancellation and delay of flights.

IndiGo airlines has paid refunds worth ₹827 crore to customers for cancelled flights between November 21 to December 7, the ministry of civil aviation has said, adding that over 5.8 lakh customers were impacted by wave of mass cancellations of IndiGo airlines.

Replying to a question in the Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said IndiGo’s internal system was responsible for the crisis that resulted in large scale flight cancellations. He added that he wants more players in the aviation industry in reply to a query about IndiGo holding over 60% of the market share. Taking a tough stand on the IndiGo crisis, the minister said that the action against the airlines after inquiry will set an example for other airlines.

On Monday, nearly 562 IndiGo flights were cancelled as the airline’s operational disruptions continued for the seventh day, with Bengaluru being the worst affected.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is dealing with a massive operational crisis that has led to mass cancellation and rescheduling of flights since Tuesday last week.

The airline expects operations to stabilise by December 10.

ALSO READ | Why did govt norms not hit other airlines as bad as IndiGo?

IndiGo flight cancellations: Key points

• Nearly 500 flights have been cancelled on Monday, with Delhi and Bengaluru being the worst-hit with more than 100 flight cancellations each. On Sunday, around 650 flights were cancelled while several others were rescheduled. Notably, the airline has cancelled more than 2,000 flights since Tuesday last week.
• Civil aviation minister, speaking in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, blamed IndiGo's internal planning system and problems in its crew rostering for the crisis.
• The Supreme Court refused an urgent hearing related to the IndiGo chaos on Monday. It said that the Centre had taken cognisance and timely steps to address the issue.
• On Monday, the Delhi airport warned that IndiGo may continue to experience more delays and advised passengers to check the latest flight status before heading to the airport.
• The disruption to IndiGo flights was mainly caused by the airline’s lack of preparation for the new pilot rest rules known as Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) which came into effect on November 1, 2025, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
• The DGCA has issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the firm's accountable manager over the large-scale disruptions, asking them to respond within 24 hours. However, the aviation regulator granted them a 24-hour extension after the airline sought more time to respond.
• IndiGo said in a statement on Sunday that it expects its network to stabilise by December 10.
• In a video message to staff on Sunday, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said that "step by step, we are getting back" and added that the airline’s on time performance is expected to reach 75 per cent.
• IndiGo issued refunds totalling ₹610 crore for cancelled and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across the country, the government said on Sunday.
• The civil aviation ministry, which has taken steps such as putting caps on airfares and asking IndiGo to speed up the refund process, said on Sunday that air travel operations across the country are improving quickly.