Consumer Affairs Ministry receives complaints over IndiGo cancellations

The consumer affairs ministry has received about 100 complaints linked to IndiGo flight cancellations and has forwarded them to the aviation regulator, Consumer Affairs Secretary Nidhi Khare said on Wednesday, according to media reports.

The complaints were lodged through the National Consumer Helpline and related to ticket cancellations, refunds and compensation claims. Khare said the cases have been sent to Air Seva, the government’s air travel grievance platform, which is overseen by the civil aviation authorities.

It also reported that passengers received only partial refunds that they believed were incorrect.

Khare addressed the reporters on the sidelines of an event marking National Consumers Day, the media report noted.

She said some passengers had also sought compensation after missing connecting flights or facing other disruptions. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation will handle the complaints, as they regulate the sector, she said, adding that her department would track cases where consumers choose to pursue litigation.

Khare attributed the relatively limited number of complaints to what she described as very proactive work by the civil aviation ministry in addressing the situation.

Cases involving possible legal action have also been forwarded to eJagriti, the government’s consumer grievance portal.

IndiGo, an Indian airline, faced widespread disruption in early December 2025, cancelling more than 2,000 flights in about a week. The cancellations, largely attributed to planning issues in implementing new flight duty time norms for pilots, stranded thousands of passengers during the peak travel season, particularly in cities such as Mumbai, Hyderabad and Delhi.

Following the disruptions, the civil aviation ministry cut IndiGo’s winter flight schedule by 10% and imposed caps on airfares to curb sharp increases in ticket prices.