Mumbai: India’s largest airline, IndiGo, entered the fifth consecutive day of chaos on Saturday, with widespread cancellations and delays leaving thousands of passengers stranded nationwide. With frustration mounting across major airports, the crisis has now drawn direct attention from the highest level of government.
According to official sources, Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been briefed on the escalating disruption, and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) is in constant communication with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers. The PMO has reportedly urged the airline to restore normal operations at the earliest, as flight cancellations continue to affect travellers during a peak movement period.
Facing mounting pressure, CEO Pieter Elbers has asked the government for a 10-day period to fully stabilise the airline’s operations, acknowledging the scale of the disruption.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) issued a strict directive on Saturday, ordering IndiGo to complete all pending passenger refunds by 8 pm on December 7. The ministry’s intervention comes as more than 400 flights were cancelled on Saturday alone, compounding the distress for passengers already waiting for refunds, baggage recovery, or alternate flight arrangements.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu took to X to deliver the government’s firm message:
“The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay… the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025.”
The minister also added that all lost or separated baggage must be identified and delivered to passengers’ homes or preferred addresses within 48 hours.
Following MoCA’s instructions, IndiGo announced that all refunds will be automatically credited to the original payment method without passengers needing to initiate requests. The airline further stated that it will provide a full waiver on cancellations and rescheduling for all bookings between December 5 and December 15, 2025, in an attempt to ease the inconvenience caused.
