India imposes fare caps as IndiGo chaos highlights a battered aviation system
The government stepped in on Saturday to cap airline ticket prices in an effort to curb the fallout from India’s most severe air-traffic disruption in recent memory. The move comes as IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, canceled over a thousand domestic flights on Friday—the peak of the disruption—leaving thousands stranded at airports nationwide.
IndiGo, a two-decade-old airline long celebrated for punctuality and low fees, experienced a dramatic operational breakdown this week. The disruption stemmed in part from the carrier’s failure to implement fresh government guidelines designed to enhance safety: longer mandatory rest periods for staff and restricted night flying hours.
In response to soaring prices on popular routes amid the chaos, the Ministry of Civil Aviation stepped in to enforce price controls. A ministry spokesperson stated that, to shield travelers from opportunistic pricing, regulators would ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes. The caps will remain in place until the situation stabilizes, though the ministry did not release specific figures.
IndiGo has apologized to passengers and acknowledged a serious operational crisis. Given the magnitude of the disruptions, the government relaxed certain requirements for the airline through February, while mandatory pilot rest periods stayed in effect.
At Delhi’s airport, officials reported gradual recovery of flight operations on X, though several IndiGo flights were still affected. The airline has indicated a potential return to normalcy between December 10 and 15.
Edited by: Roshni Majumdar
