Air India plans to operate approximately 275 additional domestic flights this month after the government directed IndiGo to reduce its capacity by 10%, a move aimed at stabilising air travel during the peak season. The decision follows significant operational disruptions at IndiGo that stranded thousands of passengers at major airports across the country.
The Tata Group-owned carrier has sought clarity from the Ministry of Civil Aviation on the duration of the restrictions imposed on IndiGo. Greater visibility on the timeline will help Air India plan aircraft deployment and manage capacity more efficiently while addressing the surge in demand caused by the reduced availability of IndiGo flights.
Senior government officials said IndiGo operates close to 1,900 domestic routes, with at least 10% currently affected by the capacity cuts. Authorities are evaluating the temporary reallocation of some of these routes to Air India, Air India Express and Akasa Air to minimise passenger inconvenience and reduce over-reliance on a single dominant carrier.
Air India is utilising spare capacity within its existing network to add services on sectors most impacted by the cuts. Where feasible, the airline is also deploying widebody Boeing 777 aircraft on high-density routes such as Delhi–Mumbai to maximise seat availability during the disruption.
Other airlines are also responding to the heightened demand. SpiceJet has announced plans to introduce up to 100 additional daily flights in its winter schedule, subject to regulatory approvals, citing strong booking trends as IndiGo scales back operations. Load factors across competing airlines have risen sharply.
Despite the curbs, IndiGo continues to operate more than 2,050 flights daily under a revised schedule. The airline experienced a major operational breakdown following the introduction of new pilot testing requirements, with on-time performance falling to single-digit levels. Investigations are underway, while the government moves to strengthen passenger grievance redressal mechanisms to support affected travellers.
