Indian airlines cancelled 5,706 flights between January and June 2025 due to regulatory and geopolitical issues, accounting for nearly 1 per cent of the 572,079 scheduled departures during the period, according to data shared in Parliament.
The cancellations spanned six carriers: Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet and Alliance Air. The Air India Group, which includes Air India Express, reported 1,468 cancellations out of 161,204 total departures. IndiGo registered the highest number of cancellations at 3,274, followed by SpiceJet with 401 and Alliance Air with 499. Akasa Air reported 64 cancellations in the same period.
Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol stated that flight delays and cancellations impose additional costs on airlines, including fuel charges, crew overtime, maintenance, airport fees and rebooking expenses. Airlines are also obligated to refund or compensate passengers in such cases.
Despite the disruptions, domestic air travel continued to expand, with passenger traffic rising by 7.34 per cent in the first half of 2025 compared to the same period in 2024.
In a separate statement, Mohol disclosed that Air India had launched 24 new international routes since July 2023. However, four of these were later suspended for commercial reasons. Among them, the Goa–London Gatwick service, which was temporarily halted, is expected to resume in the Winter 2025 schedule.
