India orders IndiGo to cut 10% of flights

India has ordered IndiGo to cut 10 per cent of its planned flights after the airline scrapped at least 2,000 services last week because of poor pilot roster planning, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

The cut, raised from an earlier 5 per cent, was announced by civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu on X after a meeting with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who cancelled a high-profile appearance at an industry event in London to deal with the crisis.

The move will remove at least 220 daily flights from IndiGo’s network, based on the number of services India’s largest airline operated before new pilot rest and duty rules took effect on November 1.

"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations," Naidu said on X.

IndiGo confirmed late on Tuesday that it had received a notice from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directing a 10 per cent reduction in its domestic winter schedule across all sectors.

IndiGo cancelled more than 1,000 flights on Friday alone to reboot its network. Elbers said earlier on Tuesday that operations were "fully stabilised".

The airline has faced criticism for failing to plan for the new rest periods and duty rules, leaving planes grounded and disrupting travel plans.

In a notice earlier on Tuesday, the DGCA asked IndiGo to cut 5 per cent of its winter schedule and submit a revised plan by Wednesday.

The regulator told IndiGo to reduce flights on routes where rivals operate and avoid those where it holds a monopoly. No end date was specified for the cuts.

The DGCA had approved 15,014 IndiGo departures per week for the winter season, when travel demand rises in India. The airline cancelled 951 flights in November out of 64,346 approved for the month.