The central government on Saturday stepped in to curb unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing operational chaos at IndiGo, which has left passengers stranded across the country.

A press release from the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the issue had been taken “very seriously” and that the ministry had invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes. The move aims to protect passengers from opportunistic pricing and financial exploitation amid the airline crisis.

An official directive has been issued to all carriers, mandating strict adherence to newly prescribed fare caps, which will remain in place until operations stabilise. The ministry highlighted that the objective is to maintain pricing discipline, prevent profiteering, and safeguard citizens who urgently need to travel, including senior citizens, students, and patients.

The step comes as IndiGo struggles to restore normalcy after several days of flight cancellations and delays, which have also triggered public protests at major airports and prompted a high-level DGCA inquiry into the airline’s operational lapses. Civil aviation officials emphasized that the regulatory intervention is part of broader efforts to ensure passenger welfare during the ongoing disruption.