IndiGo’s cancellations and delays continue on December 6, with the airline reporting over 400 cancelled flights. The government has announced caps on airfares to protect the passengers. Stay with our LIVE blog for airport updates, political reactions, airline responses, and what passengers are facing on the ground.
Thousands of air passengers remain stuck as IndiGo cancels over 400 flights on Saturday, December 6, 2025 (Photo: IANS)
India’s aviation sector is facing another difficult day on December 6, 2025, as IndiGo’s cancellations and delays continue across major airports. People travelling early from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, and Ahmedabad said they were unsure about their flights, even though officials worked through the night to fix the situation.
The airline and the government have issued several advisories, but many passengers are still dealing with sudden changes and delays from the past three days. The Civil Aviation Ministry says its main goal right now is to bring things back to normal, and a probe has already begun to understand how the problem grew this big. The government also made a fresh intervention today to impose caps on airfares. More updates are expected throughout the day from airports and authorities.
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Govt directive to IndiGo: The Ministry of Civil Aviation has issued fresh directions to IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without any delay. The ministry has told the airline that it must complete the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights by 8:00 pm tomorrow (Sunday, 7 December 2025). The airline has also been asked not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by the flight cancellations. IndiGo has been told that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will lead to regulatory action. The airline has also been instructed to ensure that all baggage separated from passengers due to flight cancellations are delivered within the next 48 hours.
Govt caps airfares amid crisis: Amid the continuing IndiGo crisis, the Union government has stepped in with a fresh measure to cap airfares. In an order issued on Saturday, the government has asked airlines to strictly follow fare caps. These limits would remain in place till the situation normalises.
“The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption. In order to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes. An official directive has been issued to all airlines mandating strict adherence to the fare caps that have now been prescribed. These caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises. The objective of this directive is to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress, and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel — including senior citizens, students, and patients — are not subjected to financial hardship during this period,” the government press release stated.
“The Ministry will continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms. Any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action in the larger public interest,” it added.
Indian Railways steps in: With air passengers across India left in a limbo, the Indian Railways has stepped in to cater to the increased demand. A report said the Railways has deployed 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 enhanced trips nationwide. The Railway Ministry issued a statement and said that Southern Railway has increased capacity in 18 trains. “Additional Chair Car and Sleeper Class coaches have been deployed on high-demand routes. These augmentations, implemented from 6 December 2025 onward, substantially expand accommodation capacity in the southern region,” the ministry said. “Northern Railway (NR) follows with augmentations on eight trains, adding 3AC and Chair Car coaches. These measures implemented today onwards enhance availability on heavily travelled northern corridors,” it added.
Over 400 flights cancelled: The IndiGo Airlines has cancelled a total of 405 domestic flights today so far, with the crisis entering its fifth day on Saturday.
Bengaluru sees massive cancellations: Flight disruptions continued in Bengaluru, with 63 departures and 61 arrivals cancelled at Kempegowda International Airport. Operations remain heavily impacted.
SpiceJet ramps up Mumbai departures to handle passenger rush: Amid widespread IndiGo cancellations, SpiceJet added multiple extra flights from Mumbai for December 6 on key routes, including Delhi, Jaipur, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata, Udaipur, Varanasi, Goa, Patna, Pune, Ahmedabad and Dubai. Chairman Ajay Singh said the airline has planned 100 additional flights over the next few days to help stranded passengers.
Sonu Sood urges passengers to stop targeting airline staff: Actor Sonu Sood released a message asking passengers to stay calm and avoid shouting at ground staff. He said his own family saw delays of nearly five hours, but added, “The saddest thing was seeing how people were shouting at the ground staff at the airports. I know in such situations, there is frustration, there is pain, and you end up taking out your anger. But imagine yourself in their shoes. Those who are helpless themselves don’t know what the future schedules are, whether the flights will take off or not. And those who get messages from above can only pass them on to you.”
Karti Chidambaram blames both DGCA and IndiGo: Congress MP Karti Chidambaram criticised the DGCA for not assessing the impact of mandatory crew rest rules before implementation and blamed IndiGo for not preparing in time. He said, “Why did they not enforce this directive well in time? So there are many questions which need to be answered. So, merely withdrawing the directive and letting the airline go back to the status quo, where they can deploy their personnel under the old regime, does not solve the problem. The answers have to come from the DGCA, from the minister, and from the airline”.
“Lakhs stranded… govt must increase flights, stop airfare loot”: Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said the ongoing IndiGo cancellations are a “matter of concern,” with “thousands and lakhs of people” stranded at airports and not getting enough help. He said even after the FDTL orders were withdrawn, IndiGo expects another 10 days to return to normal, which will cause more losses for travellers. Shukla urged the government to increase Air India flights and coordinate with other airlines like SpiceJet and Akasa to absorb passengers. He also said airfares must be kept in check, calling the current pricing “a loot” that should be stopped.
Chidambaram calls crisis a result of “duopoly” in aviation: Former Union Minister P Chidambaram said the wave of IndiGo cancellations shows the danger of a “duopolistic market”. He backed Rahul Gandhi’s stand against duopoly and said a lack of competition always leads to “baneful consequences”. He asked how India’s once-vibrant airline sector came down to just two major players.
Telangana Congress MP flags 550+ cancellations, dip in OTP: Telangana Congress MP Mallu Ravi wrote to Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu, noting that over 550 flights were cancelled or heavily delayed nationwide. He highlighted IndiGo’s OTP drop to 19.7 per cent and said the crisis exposed “structural vulnerabilities” caused by over-reliance on one dominant airline. He urged the Centre to ensure competition so that monopoly-like conditions do not reappear.
Delhi Airport advisory: IGIA says IndiGo operations are “steadily resuming”, but urges passengers to check flight status before leaving home.
Ahmedabad cancellations: Seven arrivals and 12 departures were cancelled between midnight and 6 am, officials said.
Thiruvananthapuram update:
Railways steps in: To manage the rush after so many flight cancellations, Indian Railways has added 116 extra coaches on 37 trains.
Aviation Minister’s remarks: Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu said a committee will check what went wrong and who was responsible. He added that passenger safety and FDTL rules must be followed.
Expert view: Aviation expert Harsh Vardhan tells ANI that the crisis is a “management failure,” saying FDTL norms were planned a year ago and other airlines adapted.
DGCA findings: The regulator said the issue happened due to IndiGo’s planning gaps while implementing new pilot duty-hour rules.
Government directions: Airlines must give automatic full refunds for cancelled flights, arrange hotels for stranded passengers, and ensure lounge access for senior citizens.
Temporary relief for IndiGo: The airline has been given an exemption from night-duty FDTL rules until February 10, 2026, to stabilise operations.
ALPA reaction: The pilots’ association said the exemption is unsafe and goes against established safety norms.
IndiGo CEO’s message: Peter Elbers apologised to customers and confirmed that over 1,000 flights were cancelled on December 5. He said operations should return to normal between December 10 and 15.
Political reaction: SP MP Dimple Yadav criticised the steep rise in airfares and asked the government to step in.
Passenger struggles: People at airports in Delhi, Mumbai, Bhubaneswar and Bengaluru complained about long waits, no clear information, non-working customer care and non-refundable tickets.
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