IndiGo has canceled over 1,000 flights recently due to a shortage of pilots and new flight duty time limitations. India's largest airline, carrying nearly 60% of domestic passengers, suddenly couldn't operate hundreds of scheduled flights. This wasn't a weather problem or a technical glitch, this was a crisis of IndiGo's own making that left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.

The chaos that followed was predictable and brutal. With so many flights canceled, remaining seats became scarce, and airlines did what they always do when demand exceeds supply. They raised prices to absurd levels. A simple Delhi to Mumbai flight that normally costs ₹5,000 to ₹8,000 suddenly jumped to ₹90,000. People who needed to travel urgently faced the choice of paying ridiculous amounts or not traveling at all.

Why Flights Got Canceled

The pilot shortage didn't happen overnight. IndiGo has been rapidly expanding its fleet, adding new routes and increasing frequencies without ensuring they had enough pilots to operate them. When new flight duty time limitations came into effect, limiting how many hours pilots can fly for safety reasons, IndiGo suddenly realized they couldn't staff all their scheduled flights.

These new regulations were necessary to prevent pilot fatigue, which is a major safety concern. But IndiGo should have planned for this. They knew the regulations were coming, they knew their pilot numbers, and they knew their flight schedules. Instead of hiring and training more pilots in advance, they kept selling tickets for flights they couldn't operate.

When Ticket Prices Went Crazy

This led to a massive surge in ticket prices that shocked even frequent fliers. A ₹90,000 ticket for Delhi to Mumbai is not just expensive, it's exploitative. That's more than most people's monthly salary for a two-hour flight. Business class tickets to international destinations cost less. First class train tickets for the same route cost a fraction of that amount.

Other airlines saw IndiGo's cancellations as an opportunity and raised their prices too. When one airline controls 60% of the market and suddenly can't fly, the remaining airlines have enormous pricing power. They used it mercilessly, charging whatever desperate passengers would pay. The free market was working exactly as economics textbooks predict, and passengers were getting destroyed.

Government Steps In With Price Caps

In response, the DGCA has imposed price caps on flight tickets based on distance. For flights up to 500 kilometers, the maximum ticket price is now ₹7,500. For longer distances, the caps are proportionally higher. This is the government saying that airlines cannot exploit passenger desperation during operational crises, even if basic economics would allow it.

The airline industry is furious about these caps. They argue that price controls distort the market, discourage competition, and might lead to even fewer available seats as airlines pull capacity from routes where they can't charge premium prices. But from a passenger perspective, the caps are essential protection against gouging during crises that airlines themselves created through poor planning.

What This Means For Travelers

For passengers, these price caps provide some protection against extreme price surges. You won't wake up to find a Delhi to Mumbai ticket costs more than a month's rent. Airlines will have to plan better, maintain adequate staff, and can't just cancel hundreds of flights knowing they can charge insane prices on remaining routes. This forces better operational discipline.

However, price caps don't solve the underlying problem of IndiGo's pilot shortage or the general capacity constraints in Indian aviation. There might be more flights showing "sold out" instead of showing astronomical prices. Some routes might see reduced service as airlines adjust to caps. But at least when flights are available, they'll be priced within reason, and passengers won't be held hostage by airlines' operational failures and market dominance.