Mumbai/New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled over 800 flights on Saturday, the fifth day of the ongoing crisis, even as the government imposed a cap on airfares and directed the airline to process all refunds by Sunday evening.

The airline's on time performance from six metro airports plunged to 3.7 per cent on Friday, as per the civil aviation ministry website.

The government said regulatory action will be initiated against the airline in case of any non-compliance.

With IndiGo flight disruptions impacting thousands of passengers, the civil aviation ministry on Saturday directed the airline to complete the ticket refund process for the cancelled flights by Sunday evening, and ensure baggage separated from the travellers are delivered in the next two days.

The airline had cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday.

The airline said its teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period.

IndiGo, in a statement, also said it is addressing all customer refund issues on "priority".

The refund process for all cancelled or disrupted flights must be completed by 8 pm on Sunday, the civil aviation ministry said in a statement. "Airlines have also been instructed not to levy any rescheduling charges for passengers whose travel plans were affected by cancellations," it said.

IndiGo has also been instructed to set up a dedicated passenger support and refund facilitation cells.

"These cells have been tasked to proactively contact affected passengers and ensure that refunds and alternative travel arrangements are processed without the need for multiple follow-ups.

"The system of automatic refunds will remain active until operations stabilise completely," the statement said.

Further, the ministry said the airline should ensure that baggage separated from passengers due to flight cancellations or delays should be traced and delivered to them within the next 48 hours.

"The number of cancellations on Saturday dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to Friday. We are continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days," IndiGo said.

The airline's teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, and supporting customers through this period, it said, adding, "We are also working closely with all airports and partners to ensure timely updates are provided to customers at terminals, on our website, and via direct notifications." In the two-page order on capping the airfares, the ministry said disruptions in flight operations of one of the scheduled airlines has resulted in flight cancellations, leading to capacity constraints and unreasonable surge in the fares on a number of sectors.

The fare limits, excluding applicable charges, are not applicable for business class and UDAN flights, the civil aviation ministry said in an order.

However, the order did not provide clarity on whether the caps are applicable for economy class tickets or both economy and premium economy class tickets.

Under the limits, for a flight flying up to 500 kilometres, the fares are capped at Rs 7,500 and for 500-1,000 kilometres, the ticket price cap is Rs 12,000. For flights operating 1,000-1,500 kilometres, the fares are limited at Rs 15,000 and for above, 1,500 kilometres, the cap is Rs 18,000.

The cap means that for a Delhi-Mumbai flight, which is covered in a distance of over 1,300 kilometres, the fare for at least the economy class is capped at Rs 18,000.

The limits will be in place till the situation stabilises, the ministry said in a statement.

It excludes User Development Fee (UDF), Passenger Service Fee (PSF), and taxes on air tickets.

The ministry, in the statement, said it will continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms, adding that any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action in the larger public interest, it added.

"These fare limits shall be applicable for all forms of bookings, regardless of whether the purchase is made directly through the airline's official website or through various online travel agents' platforms," it said.

The ministry has also asked airlines to avoid steep or unusual upward fare revisions on sectors affected by the cancellations.

An analysis of fares on airlines' websites on Friday showed that a one-way one-stop economy-class SpiceJet Kolkata-Mumbai flight ticket for December 6 costing up to Rs 90,000, and a similar ticket of Air India for Mumbai-Bhubaneswar going up to Rs 84,485.

Indian Association of Tour Operators (IATO) President Ravi Gosain said unpredictable spikes damage consumer confidence and create chaos for tour operators.

A temporary fare cap may provide immediate relief, but the durable solution is better contingency planning, rapid capacity deployment, and transparent fare monitoring, he noted.

Federation of Associations in Indian Tourism & Hospitality (FAITH) Board Member Anil Kalsi said the fare cap is essential to protect flyer rights in India and there is a need for a permanent policy in this regard.

On Friday, when IndiGo cancelled over 1,000 flights from across airports, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, after maintaining a stoic silence over the grave crisis for three days, apologised in a video message for the major inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruptions.

In the one-way video communication, Elbers also said that the airline was expecting fewer than 1,000 flights on Saturday.

The regulator DGCA provided temporary relief to IndiGo -- partially owned by Rahul Bhatia -- by rolling back the night duty definition to 12 am-5 am from 12 am-6 am earlier, and allowing its pilots to do six night-landings from two earlier, besides other relaxations.

Meanwhile, the pilots' body, Airlines' Pilots Association (ALPA) India, has taken a "strong" objection to the DGCA's "selective and unsafe" relief to IndiGo, saying that the relaxations have not just "destroyed regulatory parity but also placed millions of passengers at "heightened risk".

"ALPA India expresses its deep concern that this step directly contradicts the Court's directions, which mandate the enforcement of fatigue-mitigation standards rooted in aviation science," the association said in a statement late Friday.

"We urge the (Civil Aviation) Ministry and the regulator to uphold the Court's order in both letter and spirit and to prioritise the safety of the pilots and travelling public above all commercial considerations," ALPA India said.

It is worth noting that IndiGo was the first carrier to oppose the new flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms for pilots when they were introduced in January 2024, with a March implementation timeline.

It had been argued that the airlines require more time to put in place due to additional crew requirements. The latest FDTL norms, which entail increased weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extended night hours, and limiting the number of night landings to only two, as against six earlier, were also initially opposed by other domestic airlines, including Tata Group-owned Air India. PTI IAS RAM TRB