Day after 'strict action' warning, DGCA cuts IndiGo's flight schedule by 5% across sectors amid ongoing crisis

Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday directed IndiGo to reduce its schedule by 5 per cent across sectors.

The aviation watchdog further instructed the airline to submit the revised schedules by 5 pm on Wednesday.

"IndiGo has not demonstrated the ability to operate its schedules efficiently. It is directed to reduce the schedule by 5% across sectors. IndiGo is required to submit a revised schedule by 5 pm on 10th December," the Office of the Director General of Civil Aviation said in its letter to the airline.

The DGCA added that as per the Winter Schedule 2025, 15,014 departures per week were approved for Indigo, amounting to 64,346 flights approved for the month of November 2025. However, the authority noted that only 59.438 flights were actually operated during November 2025, with 951 flight cancellations recorded during the month.

According to the DGCA, Indigo was allowed an enhancement of the schedule by 6 per cent with 403 aircraft as against 351 aircraft in Summer Season 2025.

However, it has been observed that the airline could operate only 339 aircraft in October 2025 and 344 aircraft in November 2025.

"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)," the DGCA said.

This comes a day after Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said strict action will be taken to set an example for any non-compliance in future.

“The IndiGo crisis happened due to problems in its crew rostering and internal planning system. We are not taking the situation lightly. We are conducting an investigation and we will take very strict action not only for them but also for all airlines. We will take very strict action so that we set an example in the industry,” he said.

IndiGo flights cancelled

On Tuesday, IndiGo cancelled 271 flights across the country, including 121 flights from Bengaluru, as the disruption in the crisis-hit airline continued for the eighth consecutive day.

Of the cancellations at Bengaluru airport, 58 are arrivals and 63 departures.

Further, at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai, IndiGo has cancelled 14 arrivals and 17 departures.

In Chennai, 18 departures and 23 arrivals have been scrapped.

The cancellations in Ahmedabad stood at 16 — nine arrivals and seven departures.