Indian Airlines Plan 10% Cut in Domestic Flights for Summer 2026

Indian airlines plan to operate approximately 23,000 weekly domestic flights during the summer schedule starting March 29, 2026, a reduction of about 10 percent from the previous year, according to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The schedule, which runs until October 24, covers nine carriers: Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo, Akasa Air, SpiceJet, Alliance Air, FLY91, Star Air, and IndiaOne Air. This marks a drop from 25,610 weekly flights in the 2025 summer period, resulting in roughly 2,500 fewer services amid rising costs and geopolitical uncertainties.

A senior DGCA official confirmed the overall cut, noting that the agency has published airline-specific schedules on its website without a consolidated total or direct year-over-year comparison. The reduction reflects submissions from the carriers themselves, signaling a strategic scaling back rather than an enforced mandate. In the ongoing winter schedule, from October 26, 2025, to March 28, 2026, airlines had aimed for 26,495 weekly flights, but disruptions, including a 10 percent curtailment of IndiGo's operations in early December due to technical issues, already tempered capacity.