Civil Aviation ministry intervenes to check skyrocketing air fares, clear refunds amid IndiGo crisis

The centre on December 6 ordered all airlines to strictly adhere to newly prescribed fare caps. Airfares on several domestic routes have surged dramatically amidst mass flight cancellations by IndiGo since December 2. This included airlines like Air India, Spice Jet, Akasa Air. Hyderabad, Delhi, Mumbai, and Chennai routes saw fares spike 5–10 times above normal, with short-duration tickets also hitting unprecedented prices.

Hence, the civil aviation ministry invoked its regulatory powers to prescribe fare caps. This is applicable to airlines across all the routes affected by the IndiGo crisis. The directive will be in place until the flight operations stabilize.

The ministry also ordered IndiGo to clear all passenger refunds by 8 PM, Sunday. A 48-hour deadline was given to deliver passengers’ baggage to their addresses. The failure to comply with the directive will attract 'immediate regulatory action'.