Domestic airlines cancelled 6,890 flights affecting over 9.66 lakh passengers in Dec: Govt data

New Delhi: As many as 6,890 flights were cancelled in December affecting more than 9.66 lakh passengers, with IndiGo accounting for more than 82 per cent of the total cancelled services, according to official data.

IndiGo faced massive operational disruptions in early December, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) curtailed the airline's winter schedule by 10 per cent. The watchdog has imposed fines totalling Rs 22.20 crore, among other regulatory actions.

Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol on Thursday said the primary causes for the disruption were over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness along with deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure and operational control on the part of IndiGo.

"Additionally, during December 2025, a considerable number of flights were cancelled by all airlines, due to adverse weather related issues," the minister said in a written reply to the Lok Sabha.

In December, a total of 9,66,864 passengers were affected as 6,890 flights were cancelled, as per data provided along with the written reply.

IndiGo alone cancelled 5,689 flights impacting 9,02,384 passengers while Air India Group cancelled 924 services affecting 43,278 passengers last month.

The data showed that SpiceJet and Akasa Air cancelled 79 and 39 flights, impacting 11,929 and 5,673 passengers, respectively.

State-owned Alliance Air cancelled 63 flights affecting 2,463 passengers whereas IndiaOne Air cancelled 71 services impacting 408 passengers, according to the data.

Star Air and Fly91 cancelled 17 and 8 flights, affecting 386 and 343 passengers, respectively, in December.