The civil aviation ministry on Thursday constituted a slot coordination committee to redistribute airport slots vacated following large-scale IndiGo flight cancellations in December, a move aimed at optimising capacity and preventing disruption to passengers.
According to an official order dated January 22, the committee is chaired by joint secretary (airports) Rubina Ali and held its first meeting on January 13, where the process and guiding principles for slot redistribution were finalised.
The decision follows the government’s December 9, 2025, order directing a sharp curtailment of 10% of IndiGo’s operations after days of widespread flight disruptions. The ministry had said the airline’s internal mismanagement caused severe inconvenience to passengers across the country. Before the curtailment, IndiGo operated around 2,200 flights daily.
Union civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu had announced the reduction of IndiGo slots on X, stating: “The ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before.”
The order said the vacated slots will be made available for use in accordance with the ministry’s slot allocation guidelines and specified conditions. It emphasised that surrendered slots should not remain unutilised where additional capacity can be added, though it did not set a deadline for airlines to apply.
Slot preference will be given to airlines that can demonstrate fresh capacity through additional aircraft, pilots, cabin crew, ground support equipment and maintenance engineers, and not merely by reshuffling existing flights. Airlines must also share details of operational preparedness, failing which allotted slots may be cancelled and reassigned. Existing routes or sector connectivity cannot be discontinued to utilise the vacated slots.
“Airlines are requested to submit their requests and preferences, specifying adherence to above conditions, for the vacated slots, to the concerned airport operators. Thereafter, airport operators shall compile the requests received from airlines and forward the same to the committee for consideration,” the order said.
The final allocation of slots will be decided by the committee, which may co-opt other stakeholders during its deliberations, if required.
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