The government on Thursday invited airlines to submit applications for operating domestic flights on the slots vacated by IndiGo after the DGCA curtailed the airline’s winter schedule by 10% due to operational disruptions in December 2025. Between December 3 and 5, IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 others, affecting over 3 lakh passengers nationwide.
The slot redistribution committee held its first meeting on January 13 to discuss principles and processes for allocation. Airlines are required to apply to airport operators, with the condition that existing routes cannot be discontinued to use the vacated slots. Industry insiders noted that the vacated slots mostly include low-demand red-eye flights.
DGCA had fined IndiGo Rs 22.20 crore, warned senior executives, and directed a Rs 50 crore bank guarantee to ensure systemic corrections. The disruptions were attributed to mismanagement of flight crews, insufficient operational buffers, and software and structural shortcomings. IndiGo also reported a 78% decline in quarterly profit, citing higher expenses, labour law implementations, and currency fluctuations.