The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday ordered IndiGo Airlines to reduce its flight operations by 5 per cent across multiple sectors amid persistent disruptions that have crippled the carrier’s schedule since December 1, 2025.
The aviation watchdog said the curtailed schedule will apply to all major routes, with sharper cuts expected on high-demand, high-frequency sectors. IndiGo has been directed to submit a revised operational schedule by 5 pm on Wednesday.
DGCA Moves After Repeated Cancellations
The DGCA’s action follows days of widespread flight cancellations and delays that left thousands of passengers stranded across airports nationwide. The decision came a day after Union Civil Aviation Minister announced that the government would intervene to ensure operational stability by reducing IndiGo’s route count for the ongoing Winter 2025–26 schedule.
Officials said the move is aimed at improving on-time performance and preventing a repeat of the operational meltdown that saw nearly 500 flights cancelled in a single day last week.
Airline Failed to Operate Approved Winter Schedule
According to DGCA data, IndiGo was granted 15,014 weekly departures for its Winter 2025–26 schedule, which began in October. The airline, however, failed to operate the approved number of flights.
While the regulator had approved operations for 403 aircraft per month, IndiGo managed to operate only 339 aircraft in October and 344 aircraft in November. Out of 64,346 flights scheduled for November, IndiGo operated only 59,448, cancelling 951 flights.
The DGCA said the airline had announced plans to expand operations by 6.05% over its Summer 2025 schedule and 9.66% over Winter 2024, but had been unable to demonstrate the capacity to maintain such a scale reliably.
Regulator Aims to Stabilise Network
In its statement, the DGCA said IndiGo must cut scheduled operations by 5% across all sectors, particularly on busy metro routes, and must avoid running only single-flight services on any given sector.
The regulator said the intervention is intended to stabilise IndiGo’s extensive network, which handles over 2,200 flights daily, and to restore operational efficiency amid ongoing crew and scheduling challenges.
Background: Allegations of ‘Slot Hoarding’
The regulatory move also comes against the backdrop of serious allegations by the Association of Indian Pilots (ALPA), which recently accused IndiGo of “slot hoarding” — the practice of reserving excessive take-off and landing slots to limit competitors’ access.
While the airline has denied any wrongdoing, the DGCA is reportedly assessing whether the slot allocation pattern contributed to the operational crisis.
IndiGo Asked to Submit Revised Plan
The DGCA has directed IndiGo to submit a detailed revised operational plan by Wednesday evening. The plan must reflect reduced frequencies on high-density routes and contingency measures for staffing, aircraft turnaround, and passenger management.
Officials said the regulator will continue to monitor compliance and may impose further restrictions if disruptions persist.
The order marks one of the strongest regulatory actions against IndiGo in recent years, coming at a time when the airline operates nearly 60% of India’s domestic market share.
