IndiNo: Flight mayhem prompts fare caps

AIRFARE LIMITS SET FROM Rs 7.5K TO Rs 18K DEPENDING ON DISTANCE

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• 800+ FLIGHTS CANCELLED; REFUNDS BY TODAY EVENING; 95% NETWORK RESTORED

Private carrier IndiGo cancelled over 800 flights on Saturday, the fifth day of the ongoing crisis, even as the 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 noncompliance.

After days of chaos triggered by the disruption of flight operations, IndiGo claimed to have reestablished 95 per cent of its network connectivity in terms of destinations. The carrier operated to 135 out of the 138 destinations on Saturday and is on course to operate over 1,500 flights by the end of the day, IndiGo said in a statement.

Apologising again, the airline said, “While we understand that we have a long way to go, we are committed to build back the trust of our customers.”

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.