IndiGo offers refunds, waives rescheduling fees after govt directive on cancellations

AFter the Ministry of civic air power directed indigo plant to supply refunds by dec 7, the airline on Saturday announced that it will fully refund all bookings cancelled between December 5 and December 15 and will offer a waiver on all cancellation and rescheduling requests."In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment. We will offer full waiver on all cancellations/ reschedule requests of your bookings for travel between 5 December 2025 and 15 December 2025. We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused,'' IndiGo said.Also read| Why are IndiGo flights getting cancelled across India? Airlines' crisis explainedWhat did government say about refunds?The ministry of civil aviation has directed the IndiGo airlines to issue refunds by December 7 to passengers who have been impacted by the massive cancellations and delays triggered by operational disruptions of India's largest airlines over the past few days.“The Ministry has mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025. Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations,” the ministry said in a statement, adding that any delay or non-compliance in refund processing will invite “immediate regulatory action.”Also read| Delhi, Bengaluru, Mumbai: City-wise list of 500+ cancelled IndiGo flights todayWhen will the situation improve?IndiGo has sought time till February 10, 2026 to fully stabilise operations, and has begun cutting flights over the next few days to contain the damage. It has apologized repeatedly and urged passengers to check flight status before leaving home, carry essential supplies, and consider flexible or refundable bookings.As pressure mounts, pilots have urged DGCA to approve schedules only after airlines prove adequate crew strength - ensuring safety-driven policies don’t get undermined by commercial overreach.IndiGo, which carried 118 million passengers last financial year, is now confronting a harsh truth: high-frequency, low-cost dominance and aggressive scaling are incompatible with tighter fatigue-control norms unless staffing grows proportionately.For now, the skies remain turbulent - and India’s largest airline faces the toughest operational challenge in its history.