New Delhi, Dec. 7 -- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) on Saturday said it has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure "fair" and "reasonable" fares across all affected routes to protect passengers from opportunistic pricing amid concerns regarding unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption after the country's largest airline, IndiGo, cancelled at least 2,450 flights since Tuesday due to mismanagement in planning the crew roster. The airline cancelled 850 flights on Saturday and 1,000 flights on Friday, triggering chaos at airports across the country and leaving thousands of passengers stranded. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Friday exempted Indigo's Airbus A320 fleet from certain rules on pilot duty hours at night, after a representation from the airline a day earlier. It also allowed Indigo to call back pilots deputed elsewhere for flying duties. Separately, it withdrew a rule that prevented airlines from counting pilot leave as weekly rest to meet flying duty norms. "The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption. In order to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes," the ministry said in a statement. "These caps will remain in force until the situation fully stabilises. The objective of this directive is to maintain pricing discipline in the market, prevent any exploitation of passengers in distress, and ensure that citizens who urgently need to travel - including senior citizens, students, and patients- are not subjected to financial hardship during this period," the statement said. In a statement on Saturday, IndiGo said, " Today the number of cancellations has dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to yesterday. We're continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days." The ministry further said that the government would continue to closely monitor fare levels through real-time data and active coordination with airlines and online travel platforms. "Any deviation from the prescribed norms will attract immediate corrective action in the larger public interest," it said. Following IndiGo's mass cancellation of flights across the country on Friday due to mismanagement in planning the crew roster as per the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) implemented on November 1, the airfares surged sharply across all airlines -- in many cases touching five to ten times the usual rates on major sectors. Round-trip prices on the busiest routes crossed Rs.80,000-Rs.90,000. A Delhi-Mumbai return ticket was listed as high as Rs.93,000, while Bengaluru was showing Rs.92,000, Kolkata Rs.94,000, and Chennai Rs.80,000. Under normal circumstances, economy round-trip fares on these routes rarely exceed Rs.20,000-25,000, and even last-minute bookings seldom go beyond Rs.30,000. The ministry has also directed IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds without delay....