IndiGo crisis: Air India caps economy fares on domestic flights from December 4

The ongoing crisis, involving the country's biggest aviation company, has led to multiple cancellations and overpricing of tickets across major routes.

Airports across the nation are flooded with passengers, complaining about missed, cancelled or rescheduled fights, causing chaos and tension.

In its statement, Air India wrote: "Air India & Air India Express clarify that, since 4 December, economy class airfares on non-stop domestic flights have been proactively capped to prevent the usual demand-and-supply mechanism being applied by revenue management systems. We are aware of screenshots of last-minute itineraries with one-stop or two-stop flights or a combination of economy and premium economy or business cabins taken from third party platforms."

"It is not technically possible to cap all such permutations, but we are engaging such platforms to exercise oversight. Air India and Air India Express are seeking to add capacity to help travellers and their baggage reach their destinations as quickly as possible," the Tata  Group-owned aviation major said.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday introduced temporary caps on airfares amid growing complaints about skyrocketing ticket prices, cautioning airlines of strict action for any violations during the ongoing service disruptions.

The move comes after days of intense operational chaos at IndiGo — India’s largest domestic carrier — which has been cancelling hundreds of flights nationwide every day.

The ministry said it had “noted concerns over unusually high fares being levied by some airlines amid the current disruption,” prompting an immediate regulatory response.

An official order issued to all carriers now requires “strict compliance with the newly prescribed fare limits.”

Stressing enforcement, the ministry warned that “any departure from the mandated norms will invite swift corrective measures in the public interest.”

The fare controls, it added, are temporary and will remain in place “until operations stabilise completely.”

IndiGo meltdown

A sharp drop in IndiGo’s operational capacity has pushed domestic airfares to abnormal highs across airlines, with travellers scrambling to find whatever seats are still available.

In just four days, IndiGo has cancelled more than 1,000 flights, causing widespread disruption at major airports including Delhi, Bengaluru and Hyderabad, where hundreds of arrivals and departures have been abruptly removed from schedules.