Centre orders airfare cap

Mumbai/New Delhi: Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled over 800 flights on Saturday, the fifth day of the ongoing crisis, even as the Union government imposed a cap on airfares and directed the airline to process all refunds by Sunday evening.

The airline's on time performance from six metro airports plunged to 3.7 per cent on Friday, as per the civil aviation ministry website.

The government said regulatory action will be initiated against the airline in case of any non-compliance.

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the civil aviation ministry on Saturday directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, and ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days. The airline had cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday. The airline said its teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period. IndiGo, in a statement, also said it is addressing all customer refund issues on "priority". The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement.

“Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations,” it said. IndiGo has also been instructed to set up a dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

“These cells have been tasked to proactively contact affected passengers and ensure that refunds and alternative travel arrangements are processed without the need for multiple follow-ups. “The system of automatic refunds will remain active until operations stabilise completely,” the statement said. Further, the ministry said the airline should ensure that baggage separated from passengers due to flight cancellations or delays should be traced and delivered to them within the next 48 hours.