Air India and Air India Express have announced measures to support passengers, following disruptions to air traffic across India.
On December 6, India’s Ministry of Civil Aviation issued a directive setting upper limits on airfares. The two airlines have already introduced caps on domestic economy class fares and are implementing special measures that waive change and refund fees. They have also increased the capacity of their contact centers.
In addition, eligible economy class passengers are being proactively upgraded to higher classes at no extra charge, and those released seats are being used to assist travelers who have been stranded. The airlines are also operating extra flights on major routes.
According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the load factor for Indian carriers on December 6 was 99.6% for Air India and 98.8% for Air India Express, meaning both were almost completely full, while IndiGo, which has been experiencing operational disruptions, recorded 87.6%. IndiGo’s on-time performance stood at 20.7%, remaining significantly lower than that of other airlines, which were in the 40%–70% range.
