IndiGo Operated 5,000 Less Flights Than Approved For Nov; DGCA Imposes Schedule Cut

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a fresh notice to IndiGo, this time asking the airline to reduce its winter schedule. This comes after IndiGo cancelled and delayed thousands of flights in the past few days due to alleged shortage of pilots. The cancellation triggered a large-scale aviation crisis around the country as key airports around the country faced chaos and mayhem as thousands of passengers got stranded, unable to reach their destination on time.

In the fresh notice, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) stated the Winter schedule for 2025, as approved for IndiGo, was examined against the backdrop of wide disruptions due to massive cancellations of flights. The aviation watchdog said that it was observed that It was observed that as per the schedule, it had approved 15,014 departure flights per week for IndiGo, amounting to 64,346 flights approved for the month of November 2025.

However, IndiGo actually operated only 59,438 flights during November 2025, a shortage of nearly 5,000 flights.

The DGCA also noted that the airline also did not follow the Summer Schedule of 2025 and could operate only 339 aircraft in October 2025 and 344 aircraft in November 2025.

Noting that the airline has “not demonstrated an ability to operate schedules efficiently”, the DGCA said, “It is directed to reduce the schedule by 10% across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by Indigo.”

The DGCA further directed IndiGo, “You are required to submit a revised schedule by 5 PM on 10th December 2025.”

The 10% reduction is intended to ease pressure on IndiGo’s network and to curb the risk of more cancellations. Despite the cut, the carrier will still be required to serve all its existing destinations, and it must obey the government’s price caps and any other passenger‑friendly measures without exception. The ministry has also warned that further penalties could follow if the airline does not meet the new standards 

Also Read- People Won’t Pay for Airline Failures: PM Modi Draws the Line, Signals Toughest Action Yet on IndiGo Crisis