IndiGo to pay stranded passengers Rs 10,000 compensation starting December 26.

Indian carrier IndiGo announced it will begin compensating passengers severely affected by the large-scale flight cancellations that occurred between December 3 and 5. Starting December 26, the airline will issue travel vouchers worth Rs 10,000 (approximately $120 USD) to those stranded for several hours at airports. This payment is supplementary to the standard regulatory compensation of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 mandated under Indian government rules. Passengers who booked directly through IndiGo’s website are slated to receive their payments within one week, leveraging the airline's existing customer data.The decision follows a high-level review meeting chaired by Aviation Secretary Samir Sinha, who directed IndiGo to ensure all eligible passengers receive their payments promptly. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Civil Aviation Ministry are actively monitoring the compensation process through the Air Seva grievance portal. While IndiGo has initiated refunds for cancelled flights, significant coordination issues persist with online travel agencies (OTAs). Reports indicate that many passengers who booked via third-party platforms are still awaiting payment. Notably, MakeMyTrip processed refunds totaling nearly Rs 10 crore to its customers following DGCA directions, even before receiving the corresponding funds from IndiGo.To prevent recurrence, IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta confirmed that the airline's board will engage outside technical experts. These specialists will work alongside management to identify the root cause of the major flight disruptions and implement robust measures to stabilize future operations. IndiGo confirmed that its network destinations were fully restored by December 8, and flight operations have remained stable since December 9.