IndiGo Refunds Rs. 827 Crore to Passengers, Returns 4,500 Bags Amid Government Warning

New Delhi- Under heavy government scrutiny, IndiGo announced on Monday that it has refunded ?827 crore to affected passengers so far, with remaining refunds for cancellations up to December 15 currently being processed.

The airline said it was prepared to operate over 1,800 flights on Monday, up from 1,650 flights on Sunday, and confirmed that it has already returned more than 4,500 misplaced bags to customers. IndiGo added that it is “on track to deliver the rest in the next 36 hours.”

“Today, we are all set to operate over 1,800 flights, connecting all stations that we operate to. We have optimised our operations, reduced cancellations — which are now being notified to customers in advance — and improved our on-time performance to 91 per cent across the network,” the airline stated.

The update was issued shortly after the government warned that strict action would be taken against the low-cost carrier over the massive flight disruptions, saying it intended to “set an example” for all airlines.

Earlier in the day, Union Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu informed Parliament that a detailed inquiry had been initiated into the incident.

“IndiGo was supposed to manage the crew and roster properly. Passengers faced a lot of difficulties. We are not taking this lightly. We will take strict action. We will set an example for every airline. If there is any non-compliance, we will take action,” the Minister said in the Rajya Sabha.

IndiGo said all cancellations scheduled for Monday were carried out on Sunday itself, ensuring that customers received advance notifications.

“While IndiGo continues to move toward full recovery, we remain committed to helping our customers on a war footing. We have accelerated several internal processes to deal with this situation,” the airline added.

IndiGo also said it is assisting over 2 lakh customers daily through various communication channels.

“We regret this disruption and sincerely apologise to all our customers. We want to reiterate that all our operations are fully compliant with FDTL norms and safety regulations, as they have been throughout the last two decades,” the airline said.

With inputs from IANS