New Delhi, Dec. 9 — Crisis-hit carrier IndiGo cancelled 500 flights on Monday and aimed to operate 1,802 services nationwide, the civil aviation ministry said, as the airline continued to struggle with large-scale disruptions triggered last week.
“Today IndiGo plans to operate 1,802 flights to 137 out of 138 destinations, with 500 cancellations,” the ministry said in a statement. It added that the airline had delivered 4,500 of the 9,000 checked-in bags left behind during the chaos. “The remaining bags will be delivered in the next 36 hours,” the statement said.
The ministry said passenger refunds were also underway. Between December 1 and 7, the airline cancelled and refunded 5,86,705 PNRs amounting to ₹569.65 crore. For the period November 21 to December 7, a total of 9,55,591 PNRs were refunded, costing the carrier ₹827 crore.
IndiGo has been facing severe backlash from passengers and government agencies after hundreds of flights were cancelled beginning December 2. The airline cited changes in pilot duty-time regulations as the reason for the continuing breakdown, which left thousands stranded at airports across the country.
The disruptions have also drawn regulatory scrutiny, with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issuing show-cause notices to IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras. Their responses were due by 6 p.m. Monday.
