Council of Indian Aviation President Nitin Jadhav pushes for inquiry into IndiGo cancellation chaos

Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], December 6 (ANI): As IndiGo's flight operations continued to face significant disruptions on Saturday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded across major airports nationwide, the President of the Council of Indian Aviation, Nitin Jadhav, demanded an inquiry into the IndiGo cancellation chaos. 

Nitin Jadhav claimed that he would seek a CBI inquiry.  

Speaking to ANI, Nitin Jadhav said, "The IndiGo management itself is responsible for this, not the pilots... The DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) is supporting them. I am demanding a CBI inquiry into the DGCA and IndiGo. There is a hidden agenda behind this. The DGCA is not doing its work properly."

He further said that the passengers are being physically and mentally harassed. 

"It is not going to be sorted so soon. Their schedule has collapsed. Earlier flights used to operate between 6 am and 12 pm; now aviation runs for 24 hours. Due to one delay, there is a ripple effect. When they prepared the schedule, why did the DGCA not ask where the pilots were? Pilots are not responsible," he added.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Saturday directed IndiGo to trace and deliver the baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays within the next 48 hours.

Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu shared on X, announcing strict directives to IndiGo amid widespread cancellations and delays, ordering the airline to clear all pending passenger refunds and complete the entire refund process for cancelled or disrupted flights by 8 PM on December 7.

In a post on X, the minister said, "The Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay and mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, 7 December 2025. Ministry has directed IndiGo to ensure that all baggage that was separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger's residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours." 

IndiGo on Saturday announced that it will offer automatic refunds for all cancelled bookings and a complete waiver on cancellation or rescheduling charges for travel between December 5 and 15.

In a post shared on X, IndiGo said it would issue automatic refunds and full waivers to passengers, with no questions asked.

"No questions asked. In response to recent events, all refunds for your cancellations will be processed automatically to your original mode of payment," the X post read.

The airline added, "We will offer full waiver on all cancellations/reschedule requests of your bookings for travel between 5 December 2025 and 15 December 2025."

The statement concluded with an apology, "We are deeply sorry for the hardships caused."

Earlier today, the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) directed IndiGo Airlines to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay. According to an official release, the Ministry has mandated that the refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be fully completed by 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 7.

The Ministry has also instructed airlines not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were impacted by cancellations. It emphasised that any delay or non-compliance in processing refunds will invite immediate regulatory action under the Ministry's powers.

To ensure seamless grievance redressal, IndiGo has been instructed to set up dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells. These cells have been tasked with proactively contacting affected passengers and ensuring that refunds and alternative travel arrangements are processed without the need for multiple follow-ups. The automatic refund system will remain active until operations stabilise completely.

As per the release, the Ministry has directed IndiGo to ensure that all baggage separated from passengers due to cancellations or delays is traced and delivered to the passenger's residential or chosen address within the next 48 hours. Airlines have been told to maintain clear communication with passengers regarding tracking and delivery timelines, and to provide compensation where required under existing passenger rights regulations. (ANI)