IndiGo said it had paid refunds to all fliers affected by the spate of cancellations in early December, but several passengers alleged that the amounts refunded covered only a fraction of what they ultimately spent to reach their destinations. Others said they received no compensation at all, despite the airline’s assurances.

Some passengers also complained that refunds were issued after deductions, including a “convenience fee”.

One passenger said the airline deducted ₹499 as a convenience fee while processing the refund. “Convenience fee for a load of inconvenience,” she said.

Speaking at Wings India 2026, a civil aviation summit in Hyderabad last week, IndiGo chief executive officer Pieter Elbers said the airline had paid refunds to all eligible passengers, though he did not specify how many had received the money.

Hundreds of thousands of IndiGo passengers were affected across India when the airline cancelled around 4,500 flights between December 2 and 9. Thousands also reported that their checked-in baggage was not delivered upon arrival at their destinations.

Elbers, however, said the disruption lasted only three days — December 3, 4 and 5.

“Between December 3, 4 and 5, December 4 was the day which had the most customer impact,” Elbers said. “We were then focused on the immediate issue — dealing with customer grievances, as people got stranded at different locations and we had to get everyone back. Then, the focus shifted... to refunds. All the refunds were done.”

Fraction returned

Kuri Sen Chaudhuri, 59, who was holidaying in Goa with friends, was stranded after her IndiGo flight to Calcutta on December 4 was cancelled. The next day, she travelled overnight by bus to Mumbai and flew to Calcutta on December 6, paying ₹40,000 for a single seat.

“IndiGo has refunded ₹15,000 — the fare for the cancelled flight. But what about the money I spent on the bus, taxis and the air ticket, and the harassment?” Sen Chaudhuri asked on Monday. She spent ₹1,000 on the bus from Goa to Mumbai and ₹40,000 on the Mumbai-Calcutta flight.

Bengaluru resident Rumni Mazumdar, who had travelled to Calcutta to visit relatives, was booked on an IndiGo flight back on December 4 that was cancelled. Her ticket had cost ₹6,200.

“The airline refunded ₹5,700 within 10 days of the cancellation, but deducted ₹499 as a ‘convenience fee’,” Mazumdar said on Monday. “When I asked why they were charging a convenience fee for the inconvenience caused, they said it was as per civil aviation rules.”

On January 20, she received another ₹5,000 from IndiGo as compensation.

Mazumdar said she was first rebooked on a December 5 flight scheduled for 3.15pm, which was also cancelled after she had collected her boarding pass. She finally booked an Air India Express ticket for December 8 at ₹26,000.

“In all, I spent more than ₹32,000, but got back only ₹10,700,” she said.

No compensation

Some passengers alleged that they did not receive any compensation at all.

Chartered accountant Aryan Sharma was stranded in Bhubaneswar while trying to return to Mumbai, where he works, on December 5. He was recently informed by IndiGo that he was not eligible for compensation.

“The flight was cancelled and they offered another the next day via Raipur. But IndiGo staff told my son that there was no guarantee the connecting flight from Raipur to Mumbai would operate,” said his father Arun Sharma, a resident of Kankurgachi, on Monday.

Aryan travelled to Calcutta by train and stayed here for five days before returning to Mumbai. “His salary was deducted. The airline refunded the ticket fare but declined to pay compensation,” Arun said.

“Was it my son’s fault that he did not take the flight to Raipur when even the airline could not guarantee the connecting flight?” he asked.

Kabish Agarwal, a businessman from Calcutta, was stranded for two days during a family trip to Jaipur for a wedding. He was travelling with his wife Esha and daughters Krisha and Anaya.

Kabish had purchased four tickets on an IndiGo flight from Jaipur to Calcutta scheduled for December 5 at ₹11,000 each. After repeated cancellations, he was routed via Delhi.

“I spent around ₹40,000 on hotels in Jaipur and Delhi,” Kabish said. IndiGo eventually provided return tickets from Delhi on December 8.

Kabish said he applied twice for a compensation voucher of ₹10,000 through his travel agent, but the airline declined his request.

Beyond December 5

Anjani Dhanuka, chairman of the eastern region of the Travel Agents Association of India (TAAI), said IndiGo has issued compensation vouchers of ₹5,000 and ₹10,000 to passengers whose flights were cancelled between December 3 and 5. “But flights were
cancelled till December 10,” Dhanuka said.