Follow TNM's WhatsApp channel for news updates and story links.
Following five days of IndiGo Airlines’ operational collapse, which left several passengers stranded across airports on Friday, the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation has invoked its regulatory powers to prevent opportunistic pricing.
“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,” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Saturday, December 6.
“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,” he added.
Ram Mohan Naidu also promised strict action against those responsible for the operational collapse and said, "whoever is responsible will pay." The Ministry has summoned the Indigo officials at 6 pm on December 6. They have also asked the airlines to process all pending refunds as soon as possible.
The Ministry, in a statement, clarified that 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 statement noted.
The Union government has announced that flight schedules are expected to stabilise in the next three days. The Delhi airport has issued an advisory stating the steady resumption of operations. Meanwhile, the Central Railways has started six special trains to help stranded passengers.
According to Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) rules, a passenger is entitled to compensation between Rs 5,000 and Rs 10,000 if the airline fails to inform them of a cancellation at least two weeks before departure. DGCA also has compensation slabs in place. For flights that are an hour long, a compensation of Rs 5,000; 1-2 hours long, a compensation of Rs 7,500 and over 2 hours long, Rs 10,000 has to be paid by the airline.
In this scenario, passengers also have the option to skip the alternate flight IndiGo offers and claim a full refund if their flight is cancelled or delayed by more than six hours. The DGCA rules also stipulate that refunds must be processed at once via cash or bank transfers, while credit card refunds should be completed within a week’s time.
In case a compensation claim is rejected, a passenger can lodge a complaint at the AirSewa portal/app – the government’s main grievance channel or at the DGCA nodal officers at major airports.