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How did a sudden spike in cancellations push domestic airfares to record breaking levels and why are passengers now paying more for short routes like Delhi to Kolkata than for international travel such as a round trip to the United Kingdom?
Domestic airfares skyrocketed after massive IndiGo cancellations.
New Delhi: A sweeping wave of cancellations across IndiGo operations has triggered an unprecedented surge in domestic airfares leaving passengers with limited options and soaring travel expenses. With more than five hundred flights cancelled many travellers attempting to rebook tickets were forced to pay sharply inflated prices.
The Delhi Mumbai route one of the busiest corridors in the world saw return fares touch Rs 60000 in the economy category compared to the usual last minute cost of around Rs 20000. One way fares climbed beyond Rs 35000 reflecting the intense strain on seat availability.
The Delhi Kolkata sector witnessed one of the steepest spikes. Same day fares reached nearly Rs 32000 while bookings for the following day shot up to an extraordinary Rs 85000. This amount is significantly higher than the cost of a round trip ticket to London illustrating the scale of the disruption.
Several domestic routes out of Delhi had no flights available at all. Travellers heading to Chennai Bengaluru Hyderabad Jaipur or Lucknow were left without options for the day. For the next day fares to Bengaluru and Hyderabad soared past Rs 48000 for seats that usually cost under Rs 7000.
International routes remained stable indicating that the crisis was largely confined to the domestic network where IndiGo holds a dominant share.
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Airports across India reported severe disruptions. Delhi Airport experienced the highest impact with 135 departures and 90 arrivals cancelled early in the day. Hyderabad Airport saw 49 departures and 43 arrivals cancelled while Bengaluru also crossed the one hundred mark in cancellations.
Mumbai Airport recorded over fifty departures and fifty arrivals cancelled. Pune Airport faced sixteen cancellations on both arrivals and departures and one Nagpur Pune flight had to be diverted to Hyderabad.
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IndiGo acknowledged that the rollout of Phase Two of the Flight Duty Time Limitations norms contributed to the disruptions. The airline admitted that planning gaps and misjudgment during transition created operational strain and added that cancellations may continue until December eight.
To manage crew availability IndiGo plans to reduce services temporarily and has requested exemptions from specific duty time rules for its A320 fleet until February ten 2026 a request that could stir debate among pilots.
In a regulatory intervention the Directorate General of Civil Aviation withdrew earlier instructions regarding published weekly rest. This allows airlines to substitute leave for weekly rest if necessary providing greater operational flexibility as carriers navigate the ongoing disruption.
Despite the move cancellations surpassed five hundred for the fourth straight day signalling that recovery may take longer than expected.
