(Image source from: Mid-day.com)
In an uncommon action by regulators, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is reducing IndiGo’s larger winter timetable by cutting 5% of the daily flights that were previously accepted and giving those flight slots to competing airlines. On a Tuesday announcement, the DGCA instructed IndiGo to modify its winter timetable and reduce the flight count by 5%, especially on routes with high demand and frequent flights. The airline must present its updated flight schedules by 5 PM on Wednesday, December 10. "The airline has not shown they can manage these flight schedules efficiently (15014 weekly departures in the winter schedule)," the regulatory body stated. "Thus, it is directed to decrease the schedule by 5% across all sectors, particularly on routes in high demand and with many flights, and to refrain from operating single flights on any sector by IndiGo."
"The revised schedule must be sent by 5 PM on December 10, 2025," the notice continued. This notice has been given to the responsible manager of the airline. This development comes after IndiGo cancelled over 2,000 flights in the last week, leaving many travelers without options. The airline explained that it faced several “unexpected operational difficulties,” mainly due to crew shortages caused by new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. These rules are aimed at reducing pilot fatigue by limiting flying hours and requiring rest periods. The action taken by the DGCA represents an unusual use of its authority. IndiGo will face the most cuts on busy routes like Delhi-Mumbai, while its exclusive routes, where airlines generally charge 5-7% higher fares, will mainly stay the same. An executive, who chose to remain unnamed, mentioned that the routes where IndiGo holds a monopoly will not experience as many cuts as the high-traffic routes, suggesting that IndiGo’s loss is a chance for Air India.
Experts believe that this may restrict the effect on total earnings to less than 4%. The newly available flight slots are expected to help Air India, which has asked for 60-70 more daily flights. “This will basically give Tata-owned Air India a temporary edge, especially on routes where both Tata Group airlines and IndiGo operate,” explained Gagan Dixit, senior vice president of oil and gas and aviation at Elara Securities. Although the effect on future domestic earnings would likely be below 5% if IndiGo’s exclusive route slots stay unchanged, where airlines commonly achieve 5-7% higher fares, according to our estimates, Dixit added.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu confirmed the flight reductions and stated in an early Tuesday interview with DD News that the government will “reduce IndiGo's routes” and allocate them to other airlines. Air India's request to add 60-70 daily flights is likely to receive approval from the DGCA, he mentioned. “They are currently operating 2,200 flights. We will definitely make reductions.” IndiGo expanded its winter schedule from about 14,158 weekly flights to over 15,014, adding an additional 900 flights. The winter schedule is in effect from October 26 to March 28, 2026.
