India
oi-Gaurav Sharma
IndiGo
has
launched
one
of
the
biggest
refund
drives
in
Indian
aviation
history
after
days
of
widespread
flight
disruptions,
returning
more
than
₹610
crore
to
affected
passengers
as
it
works
to
rebuild
customer
confidence
and
stabilise
its
operations.
The
airline
began
processing
mass
refunds
after
large-scale
cancellations
and
delays
left
thousands
of
travellers
stranded
across
major
airports.
According
to
government
officials,
the
refund
amount
crossed
₹650
crore
within
days,
marking
a
major
relief
for
passengers
who
had
been
waiting
for
clarity
on
their
money
and
travel
plans.
The
airline
said
this
exercise
was
prioritised
to
ensure
that
customers
facing
cancellations
or
long
delays
were
not
left
out
of
pocket.
IndiGo
initiated
a
large-scale
refund
drive,
returning
over
₹650
crore
to
passengers
due
to
flight
disruptions,
and
restored
around
95%
of
its
flight
network
by
December
7,
following
directions
from
the
Ministry
of
Civil
Aviation
and
the
Directorate
General
of
Civil
Aviation.
Alongside
the
refund
drive,
IndiGo
has
been
gradually
restoring
its
flight
network.
On
December
7,
the
airline
operated
around
1,650
flights,
covering
137
out
of
its
138
destinations
–
close
to
95%
of
its
usual
footprint.
This
marked
a
significant
turnaround
from
earlier
in
the
week,
when
the
airline
was
forced
to
ground
hundreds
of
aircraft
due
to
crew
shortages
and
operational
disruptions
linked
to
new
pilot
duty
norms.
Government
agencies
have
maintained
tight
oversight
throughout
the
process.
The
Ministry
of
Civil
Aviation
directed
IndiGo
to
fast-track
refunds
and
barred
airlines
from
charging
rescheduling
fees
for
passengers
affected
by
the
disruptions.
The
Directorate
General
of
Civil
Aviation
(DGCA)
also
initiated
action
against
IndiGo’s
top
management
over
lapses
in
preparedness,
even
as
it
monitored
the
airline’s
progress
on
passenger
relief.
IndiGo
stated
that
it
reinforced
its
customer
support
infrastructure
to
manage
the
surge
in
refund
and
inquiry
requests.
Additional
call
centre
capacity,
airport
help
desks,
and
upgraded
online
refund
systems
were
introduced
to
accelerate
payments
directly
to
passengers’
bank
accounts
and
cards.
The
airline
also
claimed
to
have
cleared
thousands
of
delayed
baggage
cases
as
part
of
its
wider
recovery
plan.
Railways
and
other
transport
services
were
deployed
to
ease
passenger
pressure,
with
special
trains
operating
on
high-demand
routes
to
accommodate
travellers
whose
flights
were
cancelled.
Airport
authorities
confirmed
that
terminal
conditions
had
begun
to
normalise,
although
pockets
of
delay
and
confusion
remained.
Officials
said
that
while
operational
stability
is
still
being
restored,
the
large-scale
refund
effort
has
become
the
most
visible
sign
of
IndiGo’s
attempt
to
address
passenger
grievances.
Returning
₹650
crore,
they
said,
represents
a
significant
step
towards
restoring
trust
and
bringing
the
airline
through
one
of
its
toughest
operational
crises.
