IndiGo waives change fees till January 31 as Omicron cases surge

Domestic carrier IndiGo on Sunday announced that it is waiving change fees in view of the increasing number of Omicron cases in the country. The airline is also offering free changes for all new and existing bookings made up to January 31 for flights up to March 31, 2022.

The airline also said that amidst the reduced demand it will selectively withdraw some of its flights from service. IndiGo said that around 20 per cent of its current scheduled operations will be withdrawn from service.

"Where possible, cancellations of flights will be done at least 72 hours in advance and customers will be moved to the next available flight and will also be able to change their travel through the use of Plan B on our website," IndiGo said in a statement.

It also added that its call centres are currently handling a large number of calls. The airline is encouraging its customers to use its digital channels where it is possible.

India recorded 552 fresh cases of Omicron, taking the total tally of such infections to 3,623 across 27 states and UTs so far, according to the Union Health Ministry data updated on Sunday. Of the 3,623 Omicron cases detected in India, 1,409 people have migrated or recovered.

Maharashtra recorded the maximum number of Omicron cases at 1,009, followed by Delhi (513), Karnataka (441), Rajasthan (373), Kerala (333) and Gujarat (204).

A total of 1,59,632 fresh coronavirus infections were reported in a day on Sunday, the highest in 224 days, while the active cases increased to 5,90,611, the highest in around 197 days, according to the data updated at 8 am.

The death toll climbed to 4,83,790 with 327 fresh fatalities, the data stated.

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