Meghalaya: Shillong airfares surge after IndiGo cancels hundreds of flights

Guwahati: Airfares from Shillong have surged following widespread IndiGo flight cancellations across the country, reports The Shillong Times.

Fares from Shillong to Kolkata now range between Rs 8,000 and Rs 13,000 for the coming week, while a direct 50-minute flight from Shillong to Imphal reached Rs 8,400 on Monday.

Alliance Air also raised its direct flight fare between Shillong and Aizawl to Rs 4,500.

In response, the Ministry of Civil Aviation stepped in to ensure fair pricing and protect passengers from excessive fares.

The Ministry issued a directive requiring all airlines to follow prescribed fare caps, which will remain in place until the situation stabilizes.

IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday and more than 800 flights on Saturday, marking the fifth day of the ongoing crisis.

The airline’s on-time performance from six major metro airports fell to 3.7 percent on Friday, according to the Civil Aviation Ministry.

The government warned that regulatory action will be taken if airlines fail to comply with the fare caps.

The Ministry also instructed IndiGo to complete ticket refunds for cancelled flights by Sunday evening and to ensure passengers receive any separated baggage within two days.

IndiGo stated that it is addressing all refund issues as a priority.

Authorities will take further action against IndiGo based on the findings of an inquiry committee.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu, along with senior officials, held a meeting with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Saturday in New Delhi to review the situation and discuss solutions.

Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai also attended the meeting.