IndiGo Hikes Infant and Bag Fees as Ticket Yields Slip

IndiGo has raised its domestic infant fee to Rs 3,000 from Rs 2,000, a 50% jump that still buys no seat. The country’s largest airline also lifted airport extra-bag rates, unaccompanied-minor fees and Fast Forward priority charges on 17 September 2026.

The lines that moved are the ones a parent or a late packer cannot re-shop at the gate. IndiGo has not published a statement on the revision; people briefed on it called the exercise a routine review of add-on charges, separate from the advertised ticket and the free bag limit.

The Add-On List That Changed in September

The new rupee figures now sit on IndiGo’s own fees page. Airport extra bags are listed at Rs 800 for every extra kilogram. Economy infant travel is listed at Rs 3,000. Fast Forward at the airport is listed at Rs 650. Flying Solo, the unaccompanied-minor product, is listed at Rs 5,999. A travel certificate is listed at Rs 300.

THE SEPTEMBER 2026 ADD-ON REVISION

International Flying Solo is published at Rs 12,999. Fast Forward on international sectors is Rs 850 per sector. Those two international figures sit beside the domestic list and are not substitutes for it.

Ticket Yields Fell While Add-On Income Rose

The timing sits on a year when the advertised ticket did less work. For the year ended 31 March 2026, IndiGo’s yield decreased by 1.7 percent to Rs 5.06, and unit revenue (RASK) fell 3.0% to Rs 4.99. Passengers still rose 4.0% to 123.4 million, against 118.6 million a year earlier, while capacity grew 9.5% to 172.4 billion available seat kilometres and the load factor slipped 1.6 points to 84.4%.

Revenue from operations rose 5.1% to Rs 849,619 million. Total income rose 6.4% to Rs 895,134 million. The reported result was a net loss of Rs 23,936 million, against a profit of Rs 72,584 million in FY2025. Strip out foreign exchange and exceptional items, and the company put underlying profit at Rs 75,025 million, against Rs 88,676 million.

FY2026 IN NUMBERS

• Passengers: 123.4 million, up 4.0% from 118.6 million.
• Ticket yield: Rs 5.06, down 1.7% from Rs 5.15.
• Q4 add-on income: Rs 23,515 million, up 9.2%, while Q4 ticket revenue fell 0.7% to Rs 194,258 million.
• Reported profit: a loss of Rs 23,936 million, against a profit of Rs 72,584 million.

That Q4 split is the mechanism. Ticket revenue went backwards. Add-on income did not. In FY2025, revenue from ancillary products and services had already climbed 20.7% to Rs 79,440 million from Rs 65,789 million, covering cargo, extra bags, special requests, changes and cancellations, inflight sales and tours.

FY26 was marked by an exceptionally challenging operating environment, which materially impacted our profitability. Despite these conditions, the underlying performance of the business remained resilient. During the year, our capacity grew by 9.5% and total income increased by over 6%. Excluding the impact of foreign exchange and exceptional items, IndiGo delivered a profit of INR 75 billion.

Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director, IndiGo, FY2026 results statement

Bhatia also thanked 123 million customers and 69,000 staff. The fleet at 31 March 2026 was 441 aircraft, with scheduled service to 97 domestic and 45 international destinations, and cash of Rs 516,506 million. The September add-on list is a small lever next to that balance sheet, and it is a lever passengers meet one bag or one baby at a time.

A 50% Infant Hike on a Lap With No Seat

The infant line is the steepest percentage move in the revision. A child aged more than three days and under two years still travels on an adult’s lap. IndiGo does not assign that child a seat, and it will not sell an extra seat in the infant category. A ticket is still required, and the domestic fee is now Rs 3,000 rather than Rs 2,000.

Only one infant is allowed per adult. Guardians must show age proof at check-in. If they cannot, IndiGo charges the full fare then due and will carry the child only if a seat is free. Infants get a 7 kg hand-bag allowance and no free checked bag of their own, so a family that already runs close to the adult limit meets the extra-bag rate as well.

That combination is why the infant fee draws more heat than a Rs 100 bag increase. The child occupies no extra seat and checks no extra suitcase, yet the charge is compulsory once the family has chosen the flight. A passenger who packs inside the free limit and travels without a baby does not meet this revision at all.

Add-on fees are doing the yield work that advertised fares did not do last year. A 50% infant increase lands on a product the parent cannot decline and cannot compare at the airport, which is a different kind of price from a seat fare that still has to win a search.

Prepaid Extra Bags Still Beat the Airport Rate

The extra-bag hike is the one most travellers can still dodge, if they act before they reach the counter. IndiGo’s domestic prepaid slabs are priced at Rs 750 a kg. The airport rate is now Rs 800 a kg. Five extra kilograms cost Rs 3,750 if bought ahead and Rs 4,000 at the airport, a gap of Rs 250. Ten extra kilograms cost Rs 7,500 prepaid and Rs 8,000 at the counter.

PREPAID SLABS VERSUS THE AIRPORT KILO RATE

The website still sells those slabs as an unbundled add-on under DGCA Air Transport Circular 04 of 2026, the same circular IndiGo cites for paid seats. Booking the ticket does not require buying extra kilos. Paying at the airport, after the bag is already on the belt, is the expensive order of events.

Lite fares are a separate trap. They include no free checked bag. Buying 15 kg later is Rs 2,000 whether that is done in advance or at the airport, and any weight above that 15 kg then meets the Rs 800 kilo rate. A passenger who clicked Lite to win the search and then packed a suitcase is buying the new schedule twice.

Flying Solo Is Mandatory From Age 5 to 12

IndiGo’s unaccompanied-minor product is not a nice-to-have for the ages that use it. Children under five cannot fly alone on the airline at any price; they must travel with someone 18 or older. From five to 12, a child without that companion must book Flying Solo. From 13 to 18 the service is optional.

FLYING SOLO AGE BANDS

• Under 5: The child must travel with a companion aged 18 or more; Flying Solo is not offered.
• Ages 5 to 12: Flying Solo is required if no adult companion is on the booking, at Rs 5,999 domestic and Rs 12,999 international per sector.
• Ages 13 to 18: The minor may travel alone, or the family can still buy Flying Solo.

The fee is charged in addition to the child’s own ticket. A parent or guardian must complete the unaccompanied-minor form at check-in, name the adult who will meet the child on arrival, and stay until departure. IndiGo asks families to report two hours before a domestic flight and four hours before an international one.

Air India still posts a lower domestic add-on. Its children FAQ lists a handling fee of INR 5,000 per domestic sector, on top of a full adult fare, for unaccompanied minors aged 5 to 11. That is Rs 999 less than IndiGo’s new domestic Flying Solo rate, before anyone compares the underlying ticket. Families who can use either airline on the same city pair now have a Rs 999 reason to check the full basket, not just the adult fare box.

Rs 650 at Home, Rs 850 Abroad

Fast Forward is the one item in this revision that is truly optional. It buys priority check-in and boarding. The domestic airport price is now Rs 650, up Rs 150 from Rs 500, a 30% increase. International sectors are Rs 850. IndiGo has separately marketed pre-booked Fast Forward at a discount of up to 70% against the airport rate, which is the same prepaid-versus-counter logic as extra bags.

A traveller who wants the queue skip can still buy it on the website before the airport price applies. A traveller who does not want it pays nothing extra. That is the opposite of the infant ticket and of Flying Solo for ages 5 to 12, where the product is the condition of travel.

The September list therefore sorts into two piles. Infant fees and Flying Solo are compulsory once the passenger mix is a baby or a solo child. Extra bags and Fast Forward remain choices, and both still reward anyone who pays on the website rather than at the counter. The advertised 6E fare can stay sharp in a search while those four lines quietly do the yield work.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does an IndiGo Infant Get a Seat After the Rs 3,000 Fee?

No. Infants aged more than three days and under two years must sit on an adult’s lap, and IndiGo will not sell them their own seat. An Airbus A320 may carry a maximum of 12 infants, an ATR a maximum of 6, and Stretch class a maximum of 3; the Stretch infant fare is Rs 8,400. International infant fees on some short sectors, including ex-India flights to Colombo, Kathmandu and Dhaka, are listed at Rs 6,000.

What Age Proof Does IndiGo Accept for an Infant?

IndiGo lists a birth certificate, the mother’s hospital discharge summary, a vaccination certificate or a passport. Without a valid age document, the airline charges the full fare then applicable and carries the child only if a seat is available. Keep the original at check-in; a photo on a phone is not the list the airline publishes.

Can a Four-Year-Old Fly Alone on IndiGo If the Parent Pays Flying Solo?

No. Flying Solo is not offered under age five, and paying the Rs 5,999 or Rs 12,999 fee does not override that bar. The child must travel with a companion aged 18 or more. From 13 to 18 the minor may travel without the product; the unaccompanied-minor fee is charged only up to age 12.

How Much Is 15 kg of Extra Bags If You Prepay on IndiGo?

The prepaid 15 kg slab is Rs 11,250, against Rs 12,000 at the airport at Rs 800 a kg, a saving of Rs 750. On Lite fares there is no free checked bag, and a 15 kg checked piece is Rs 2,000 whether it is bought ahead or at the airport, with the Rs 800 kilo rate applying above that 15 kg.

Does a Travel Certificate Cost Extra If You Call IndiGo?

Yes. The certificate itself is now Rs 300, up from Rs 200. A request placed through the call centre adds Rs 100 per person per sector on top of that Rs 300. IndiGo describes the document as proof of travel for reimbursement, GST and leave-travel claims.

The next infant ticket on a domestic 6E sector is Rs 3,000 at purchase, with the child still on a lap. Extra kilos and Fast Forward remain cheaper on the website than at the airport, which is the only part of this list a passenger can still outrun.