“Given the size, scale and complexity of our operation, it will take some time to return to a full, normal situation,” the chief executive said.
India’s Civil Aviation Ministry has capped fares and will monitor prices until flight operations fully stabilise.
Operations are expected to normalise between 10 and 15 December, the chief executive said in a video message.
IndiGo expects cancellations to fall below 1,000 on Saturday after rebooting schedules to stabilise operations.
IndiGo expects its flight cancellations to fall below 1,000 on Saturday, the fifth day of travel chaos that hit India's largest airline and left thousands of frustrated passengers stranded at airports across the country.
Operations are expected to return to normal by next week, IndiGo's chief executive Pieter Elbers said in a video message.
"Given the size, scale and complexity of our operation, it will take some time to return to a full, normal situation, which we do anticipate between the 10th and 15th of December," Mr Elbers said.
The disruption comes after the airline cancelled more than 1,000 flights across India on Friday “to align crew and planes".
IndiGo has acknowledged it did not plan properly, in the lead up to a November 1 deadline to implement stricter rules on night flying and weekly rest for pilots, ultimately leading to scheduling problems this week.
Friday marked the highest number of cancellations so far during the airline's operational crisis, hitting more than half of the 2,200 daily flights that the airline normally operates.
IndiGo has rebooted its systems and flight schedules, which resulted in these record cancellations, but this is "imperative for progressive improvements" starting from Saturday, Mr Elbers said.
Travellers sit with their luggage at Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, India, on December 6, 2025. Reuters
Price caps on tickets
India's Civil Aviation Ministry said on Saturday a directive had been issued to all airlines, mandating strict adherence to all fare caps that have been prescribed, to protect passengers from opportunistic pricing.
The price caps will remain in force until India's flight situation fully stabilises, the ministry said in a statement.
"The Ministry will continue to closely monitor fare
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