Blame it on the IndiGo fiasco? Air ticket refund complaints up 233% in 2025

Air ticket-related refund complaints shot up 233% in 2025 from the previous year, most likely driven by the IndiGo fiasco that led to mass flight cancellations in December last year.

According to data collated by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, 4,386 refund complaints were filed by air travellers last year, compared with 1,315 in 2024. The number stood at 961 in 2023 and 1,508 in 2022. The data is based on submissions made by airlines.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) has established a permanent 24×7 Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) to strengthen passenger-centric governance. The control room brings together MoCA, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), the Airports Authority of India (AAI), and airlines for real-time monitoring of flight disruptions, baggage issues, and refunds, with a view to ensuring faster grievance redressal and improving the overall passenger experience.

The December 2025 operational crisis brought to the fore operational challenges, poor planning, and crew mismanagement at IndiGo. After the DGCA's new pilot duty norms came into effect, IndiGo’s operations went haywire, leading to a collapse in the first week of December, with official data showing the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights over three to four days.

The airline was asked to cut capacity by 10% and onboard more pilots to restore operations. The fiasco also led to the exit of Pieter Elbers as CEO.