MUMBAI/NEW DELHI, Dec. 5 -- Flying could get more expensive in the coming weeks, with airfares expected to rise by at least 8%, analysts said, as IndiGo prepares to cut domestic flights from next week amid an escalating pilot shortage. The squeeze will be sharper on metro-to-non-metro routes where the airline is the sole operator, raising the prospect of steep increases during India's peak winter travel season.

IndiGo-India's largest carrier and operator of nearly 57% of all winter departures-has entered one of its worst operational stretches since going public in 2015. The airline was founded in 2006.

A mix of pilot shortages, a surge in leave requests, and what the airline itself calls planning gaps in implementing India's new flight ...