IndiGo disruptions spike prices: Unprecedented Rs 1.32 lakh fare on Delhi-Bhopal route

Air fares surged manifold on Friday, December 5, 2025, as India’s largest airline, IndiGo’s operations crumbled amid pilot-rostering issues, which have forced the airline to cancel a large number of flights – over 400 today. The large number of flight cancellations has left many passengers stranded at airports for as long as three days. Airports across the country are witnessing chaotic scenes as many passengers staged protests and some complained of misplaced baggage amid ongoing disruptions. 

With IndiGo’s cancellations impacting air travel, fares on several routes have surged manifold, in some cases reaching above Rs 1 lakh. A flight from Delhi to Bhopal was priced at around Rs 1.32 lakh. 

On the heavily congested Delhi-Mumbai route, the fare of a non-stop Air India flight on December 6 is ₹38,676 (AirIndia, 6:25-8:45). A one-stop option on SpiceJet for the same day costs Rs 48,133. 

The Delhi-Bengaluru route saw fares soar past Rs 40,000. 

International travel cheaper 

Amid this chaos, international travel has become cheaper than flying within India, as a Delhi-Dubai flight costs around Rs 23,000, and a Bengaluru-Dubai flight costs around Rs 18,000.

DGCA eases flight duty norms

Meanwhile, the aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has eased flight duty norms by allowing the substitution of leave for a weekly rest period. As per the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, “no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest”, which means that weekly rest period and leaves are to be treated separately.

Citing IndiGo flight disruptions, sources told PTI that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has decided to withdraw the provision ‘no leave shall be substituted for weekly rest’ from the FDTL norms.

IndiGo is the country’s largest airline and operates around 2,300 domestic and international flights daily with a fleet of over 400 planes.