The Central Government directed IndiGo Airlines to immediately roll out compensation for passengers affected by widespread flight cancellations and delays earlier this month, officials said on Saturday. The instruction was issued by Aviation Secretary Samir Sinha during a high-level review amid mounting complaints over delays in refunds and payouts.
IndiGo was asked to complete compensation in a time-bound and transparent manner, ensuring no eligible passenger was left out. As part of the relief, the airline was directed to issue ₹10,000 travel vouchers from December 26 to severely affected passengers from December 3 to 5, in addition to mandatory cash compensation of ₹5,000 to ₹10,000 under aviation norms.
Officials said the airline was instructed to begin payouts within a week for passengers who booked directly through its website, while for those who booked via online travel agencies, IndiGo was told to collect data from the platforms and disburse compensation directly. The DGCA will oversee compliance, with monitoring through the Air Seva portal.
Between December 1 and 9, IndiGo cancelled 4,354 flights, including 2,507 services on December 3, 4 and 5, potentially affecting over 3.8 lakh passengers. The total compensation liability is estimated to exceed ₹376 crore.
