Civil Aviation Secretary Sameer Kumar Sinha said the government has worked proactively to address the concerns of passengers in the wake of the recent disruption caused by IndiGo operational crisis, and 100 per cent refund for PNR cancellations has been completed.
In an interview with ANI, Sameer Kumar Sinha said things are almost back to normal after the IndiGo crisis. Sinha, who had come to inspect the luggage operations at the Delhi airport on Monday, said 90 per cent of the luggage has already arrived and the airlines are sending it to the respective addresses. He said, “This is a big concern of the passengers. I came here to see the luggage arrangements. We saw that 90 per cent of the luggage has already arrived. Airlines “We are sending the goods to the respective passengers’ addresses. I think the goods will reach the given address of the passengers within the next 24 hours.”
“It was a big concern and in fact we paid due attention to it and issued an order and we also coordinated with IndiGo and I think 100% refund has already been completed,” he said. Sinha said IndiGo flew more than 1,800 flights today, which is almost normal and other airlines also flew to their full capacity.
Sinha said, “Things have almost returned to normal. Airlines are doing well. In fact, operations have been very smooth. IndiGo flew over 1,800 flights today, which is almost normal. All the other airlines, like Akasa, Air India Express, Air India, SpiceJet, have flown at their full capacity. So as I see today, things are returning to normal.”
He further said, “The worst in my opinion was December 4 and 5 and after that things started changing. We coordinated at various levels; several meetings were held with the senior management of IndiGo and we also coordinated with airports, airport directors, PPP and AAIL airports. Now I feel things have almost become normal.”
Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu had earlier told the Rajya Sabha that the problems faced by IndiGo Airlines passengers are related to the airline’s internal crew rostering and operational planning and not the aircraft maintenance and scheduling system (AMSS).
He said that intensive discussions have been held with all stakeholders regarding the Flight Time Limit (FTTL) guidelines, and it was emphasized that there will be no compromise on safety. He said that stringent Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) are in place to protect passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations. “Strict Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) are in place for passengers who have faced difficulties due to delays and cancellations.
Airline operators must comply with these requirements. Regarding the software issue, an investigation has been conducted. “Our vision of the government is to set the highest global standards for the aviation sector in the country,” he said. “The problems at IndiGo were related to crew rostering and internal operational planning, which is managed by the airline on a day-to-day basis,” he said.
Naidu stressed that the government was taking the situation seriously and warned, “If any operator does not follow the rules, we will take strong action.” He also highlighted the government’s intention to encourage more companies in the aviation sector. Responding to a question by AIADMK member M. Thambi Durai, who cited long time spent being stranded and exorbitant fares, the Union Minister expressed regret for the inconvenience caused. He said more than five lakh PNR cancellations have been recorded.
“The government has capped fares and created four price slabs, taken strict action against non-compliance, and taken action in the past to curb unreasonable fare hikes,” the minister said. IndiGo Airlines on Monday said it has so far completed the process of refunds worth Rs 827 crore for thousands of passengers, and the remaining refunds will be made for cancellations till December 15, 2025.
“More than 4,500 bags have been delivered to the concerned customers, and we will deliver the remaining bags in the next 36 hours,” the airline said in a statement. The airline also claimed to have provided assistance to more than two lakh customers daily through various communication channels. The airline said it has facilitated stranded customers and booked more than 9,500 hotel rooms and around 10,000 hotels between December 1 and 7. “Over 1,800 flights were operated, up from 1,650 yesterday, and 90% on time performance (OTP) was recorded across the network, up from 75% yesterday,” the statement said.
It also said that all network coverage has been fully restored, and all cancellations for today’s program have been processed yesterday, making sure to send advance notices to customers.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has given a one-time extension of 24 hours to the accountable manager and chief executive officer of IndiGo to respond to the show cause notice issued on December 6 for large-scale operational disruptions and non-compliance of rules. The airline had sought more time citing “operational constraints” related to the size of its nationwide network and several unavoidable factors responsible for the delay.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Sunday said it has taken prompt and decisive steps to address the disruption caused by the IndiGo operational crisis and ensure that passengers do not face continued inconvenience. It said air travel operations across the country are rapidly stabilising.