India's largest carrier, IndiGo, has announced a significantly faster recovery timeline for its disrupted flight schedules. The airline now expects its operations to return to normal by December 10, 2025, a sharp revision from its previous estimate of February 10, 2026.
Widespread Disruption and a New Timeline
The announcement came on Sunday, December 7, as the airline faced its sixth consecutive day of severe operational chaos. On that day alone, IndiGo was forced to cancel approximately 650 flights across multiple airports in India. This widespread cancellation has led to significant passenger inconvenience, stranding and frustrating thousands of travellers.
In a statement reported by PTI, the airline confirmed the accelerated recovery date, signalling that corrective actions are progressing more swiftly than initially anticipated. The earlier projection of a February restoration had indicated a prolonged period of instability, making the new December target a positive development for passengers.
Signs of Gradual Improvement
Despite the high number of cancellations, data suggests the situation is slowly beginning to improve. On Sunday, December 7, IndiGo managed to operate 1,650 of its scheduled 2,300 daily domestic and international flights. This indicates that the airline's network is gradually moving towards stability, even as a substantial portion remains grounded.
Another key performance metric also showed a slight uptick. According to the Civil Aviation Ministry's website, IndiGo's on-time performance (OTP) at six major metro airports improved to 20.7% on Saturday, December 6. While this figure remains low, any improvement from the peak disruption days is seen as a step in the right direction for the beleaguered airline.
Passenger Impact and the Road Ahead
The multi-day crisis has highlighted the vulnerabilities in airline operations and the cascading effect of disruptions on passenger plans. The focus now shifts to whether IndiGo can meet its revised December 10 deadline and fully restore its extensive flight schedule. Passengers are advised to continue checking their flight status directly with the airline before heading to the airport.
The coming days will be critical for IndiGo as it works to regain normalcy and rebuild passenger trust. The advancement of the stabilisation date by nearly two months offers hope that the worst of the disruptions may soon be over.
