India’s largest airline, IndiGo, has found itself at the center of a storm, with its operational crisis entering an eighth consecutive day on December 9, 2025. The disruption has sent shockwaves through the country’s aviation sector, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, sparking government intervention, and triggering a ripple effect on airfares and even the hospitality industry near major airports.
According to The Hindu and Business Standard, more than 250 IndiGo flights were cancelled as of 10:30 AM on December 9, with the brunt felt in major cities like Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Chennai. Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) was particularly hard-hit, with 58 arrivals and 63 departures cancelled, creating chaos for travelers and leading to a surge in hotel prices around the airport as stranded flyers scrambled for last-minute accommodation. In Hyderabad, 14 arrivals and a staggering 44 departures were cancelled, while Mumbai saw 14 arrivals and 17 departures grounded. Even smaller airports like Thiruvananthapuram weren’t spared, with four cancellations reported there.
The crisis, which began on December 3, has been attributed to a combination of crew shortages and the implementation of new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that came into effect on November 1, 2025. IndiGo’s CEO publicly apologized for the disruptions, acknowledging the chaos was caused by “crew shortages and mandatory safety requirements.”
But the fallout extended far beyond just flight delays. As The Times of India reported, passengers faced distress and significant financial losses—not only due to last-minute ticket purchases but also because of soaring hotel prices near airports like KIA in Bengaluru. Many were forced to reschedule their travel plans, incurring additional costs that, for some, ran into tens of thousands of rupees.
The government’s response was swift but, according to some, not entirely reassuring. The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) convened high-level meetings to address the crisis, deploying senior officers to 10 key airports to monitor the situation on the ground. In a punitive move, the DGCA ordered a 5% reduction in IndiGo’s allotted slots, citing the airline’s failure to meet operational standards. These slots, officials indicated, would be reallocated to other domestic carriers such as SpiceJet, Air India, and Akasa Air.
“No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause hardship to passengers,” Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu warned, signaling a tough regulatory stance. He also underscored that the government would take strict action to “set an example,” as reported by NDTV.
Amid the chaos, the government imposed a price cap of ₹18,000 (excluding taxes) for travel distances exceeding 1,500 km, hoping to rein in runaway airfares. But as flyers quickly discovered, ticket prices on December 9 remained volatile and, in many cases, exceeded the cap. For instance, Delhi–Mumbai fares ranged from ₹15,000 to ₹16,000 for basic tickets, but meal-inclusive options soared to ₹25,000–₹29,000. Delhi–Kolkata fares started at about ₹14,500, reaching up to ₹29,000, while Bengaluru routes breached the cap with prices between ₹19,000 and ₹32,000. Chennai departures were somewhat more moderate, generally ranging from ₹5,000 to ₹17,000. The government’s intervention, it seemed, did little to immediately stabilize the market.
The price surge didn’t go unnoticed in India’s Parliament. On December 8, CPI Rajya Sabha MP P Sandosh Kumar wrote to Civil Aviation Minister Naidu, expressing concern over the high airfares and criticizing the government’s contradictory stance. “In reply to my question in the Rajya Sabha on 24.07.2023 regarding the ‘Rise in Airfares’, your ministry asserted that ‘airfares are market-driven and are neither regulated nor established by the Government. Airlines are free to fix reasonable tariffs…’ However, the Ministry’s own Order No. 01/2025 dated 06.12.2025 demonstrates the opposite,” Kumar stated, pointing out that the government had, in fact, imposed fare caps without clearly defining what constitutes “stable fares” or “reasonable pricing.”
Kumar further highlighted that some domestic carriers charged up to ₹60,000 for a Mumbai–Delhi flight—far above the notified ceiling of ₹15,000 for flights in the 1,000–1,500 km range. He accused airlines of altering their “so-called established tariffs” overnight to justify these extreme surges, despite the DGCA’s tariff monitoring unit claiming to ensure compliance. “Passengers deserve protection from predatory pricing not only during crises but also during predictable periods of high demand such as festivals,” Kumar wrote, demanding the ministry define and enforce clear standards for fare stability and reasonableness.
As IndiGo struggled to restore normalcy, its rivals seized the opportunity. SpiceJet, for example, announced the induction of two new Boeing 737 aircraft into its fleet, deploying them on key international and domestic routes like Delhi–Bangkok, Ahmedabad–Dubai, and Ahmedabad–Kolkata. According to Business Standard, SpiceJet’s shares surged 5.42% to ₹34.26 on December 9, gaining nearly 15% over three trading sessions, while IndiGo’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, saw its shares tumble about 12% in five days. SpiceJet’s Chief Business Officer, Debojo Maharshi, called the fleet expansion “another step in our ongoing efforts to expand capacity in a calibrated and responsible manner.”
The DGCA’s decision to cut IndiGo’s winter schedule by 5% means that SpiceJet, Air India, and Akasa Air stand to benefit from the reallocation of routes. SpiceJet, despite having only 21 of its 56 aircraft operational (with 35 grounded for years), has reported a turnaround, posting a net profit of ₹61.93 crore for FY25 compared to a loss of ₹423.72 crore the previous fiscal year.
As the crisis unfolded, the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA maintained that they had been actively monitoring the situation since the beginning. Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha emphasized that “there have been no delays or lapses on the government’s part,” reaffirming the authorities’ commitment to resolving the crisis and protecting passenger interests.
Yet, for many travelers, the damage had already been done. With more than 250 flights cancelled in a single morning, passengers left to navigate volatile ticket prices, and hotel bills piling up near major airports, the IndiGo crisis has exposed the fragility of India’s aviation sector. The government’s regulatory response, though assertive, has raised questions about transparency, consistency, and the protection of consumer rights in times of turmoil.
As airlines and regulators grapple with the aftermath, the events of December 2025 serve as a stark reminder: in India’s fast-growing aviation market, operational missteps and regulatory ambiguity can quickly spiral into nationwide chaos, affecting not just airlines and airports, but the very passengers they are meant to serve.
