India caps airline fares as IndiGo crisis leaves hundreds stranded for fifth day

6/12/2025 16:07

India capped airline fares on Saturday as hundreds of passengers gathered outside Bengaluru and Mumbai airports after 385 IndiGo flights were cancelled on the fifth day of a crisis that has hit the country's biggest airline.



Air travel across India has been in turmoil this week after IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights, prompting the government to announce special relief for the carrier and the operation of additional trains to help clear the backlog.



The spate of IndiGo cancellations led to a big jump in fares at other airlines on popular routes, and the government said it was capping fares to maintain pricing discipline in the market. It did not share details on what the caps would be.



"The Ministry will continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines," the Indian government said.



Fares were last capped during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.



The flight cancellations are the biggest crisis ever for 20-year-old IndiGo, which has prided itself for on-time performance and lured passengers with low-cost fares.