Mumbai: India imposed a price cap on airfares after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, canceled hundreds of flights for the fifth consecutive day, facing its biggest crisis since its founding 19 years ago.
According to Thai News Agency, air travel across India was disrupted after IndiGo announced the cancellation of all daily flights from December 2, 2025, due to planning errors before new pilot work schedules were implemented on November 1. The crisis at IndiGo has provided an opportunity for other airlines to increase prices on popular routes, leading the government to impose price caps to ensure pricing discipline. The transport ministry stated it would monitor fares in real-time and work closely with airlines, a measure last taken during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
IndiGo canceled more than 1,000 flights yesterday and has informed authorities that it plans to resume normal operations between December 10 and 15. This decision came after being temporarily exempted from new Flight Duty Time Limits, which increase pilot rest periods from 12 to 48 hours per week and limit pilots to two night landings per week, down from six. On the fifth day of cancellations, over 500 flights were canceled.
IndiGo holds over 60 percent of the Indian aviation market share, according to the company's website. Its fleet of more than 400 aircraft operates over 2,200 flights daily to more than 130 destinations, including over 40 international routes, and carried over 118 million passengers in 2024.