The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has concluded a comprehensive inquiry into the large scale flight disruptions reported by IndiGo between 3 and 5 December 2025, which resulted in the cancellation of 2,507 flights and delays to 1,852 flights, affecting more than three lakh passengers across multiple airports. Acting on the directions of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, a four member committee was constituted to examine the operational, regulatory and managerial factors that led to the disruptions.
The inquiry involved detailed scrutiny of network planning, crew rostering practices, management oversight and the software systems deployed by the airline. Statements were recorded from relevant stakeholders and operational processes were examined in depth. The committee identified over optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure and operational control as the primary causes of the disruptions.
The committee observed that the airline management failed to adequately assess planning deficiencies, maintain sufficient operational buffers and effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation provisions applicable under the Winter Schedule 2025. Excessive focus on maximising utilisation of aircraft, crew and network resources significantly reduced roster buffer margins and weakened operational resilience. Crew rosters were designed to stretch duty periods through increased reliance on dead heading, tail swaps, extended duty patterns and minimal recovery margins, compromising roster integrity and leading to cascading delays and cancellations.
The findings were forwarded to the Ministry of Civil Aviation, following which the Directorate General of Civil Aviation initiated a series of enforcement actions against InterGlobe Aviation, the operator of IndiGo. The Chief Executive Officer was cautioned for inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management. The Accountable Manager and Chief Operating Officer was issued a warning for failure to assess the impact of the Winter Schedule 2025 and the revised FDTL provisions. The Senior Vice President of the Operations Control Centre was warned and directed to be relieved of current operational responsibilities and not assigned any accountable position due to systemic planning failures and delayed implementation of revised duty time norms.
Warnings were also issued to the Deputy Head of Flight Operations, the Assistant Vice President for Crew Resource Planning and the Director of Flight Operations for lapses in operational supervision, manpower planning and roster management. The airline has been directed to take appropriate action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry and submit a compliance report to the aviation regulator.
In addition to individual accountability measures, the aviation regulator imposed a one time financial penalty on IndiGo for multiple violations of the Civil Aviation Requirements and the Aircraft Rules. The penalties include non compliance with revised FDTL norms, failure to balance commercial imperatives with crew welfare, improper delegation of operational control and shortcomings in accountable management oversight.
Penalty details
Failure to establish and effectively implement FDTL compliance systems under CAR 7 J III
Penalty ₹30,00,000
Failure to balance commercial objectives with crew operational limits under CAR 7 J III
Penalty ₹30,00,000
Non compliance with operational responsibilities under CAR 8 O VII Part A
Penalty ₹30,00,000
Improper delegation of operational control under CAR 8 O II
Penalty ₹30,00,000
Failure of accountable management to ensure operations meet DGCA standards under CAR 3 C II
Penalty ₹30,00,000
Post holders failing to discharge duties in line with safety standards under CAR 3 C II
Penalty ₹30,00,000
For continued non compliance with revised FDTL provisions from 5 December 2025 to 10 February 2026, a daily penalty of ₹30,00,000 has been imposed for 68 days, amounting to ₹20.40 crore. The total financial penalty imposed on the airline stands at ₹22.20 crore, comprising ₹1.80 crore in one time systemic penalties and ₹20.40 crore for continued non compliance.
To ensure long term corrective action, the regulator has ordered IndiGo to pledge a ₹50 crore bank guarantee in favour of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation under the IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme. The phased release of this guarantee is linked to verified implementation of reforms across leadership and governance, manpower planning and fatigue risk management, digital systems and operational resilience, and sustained board level oversight. Each phase will be independently verified by the regulator before any release is permitted.
The aviation regulator acknowledged that IndiGo restored normal operations swiftly after the disruption period and complied with directions to provide timely refunds and statutory compensation. Additionally, the airline extended a gesture of care voucher worth ₹10,000 with a validity of 12 months to passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed by more than three hours during the affected period.
On the directions of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, an internal review is also being undertaken within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation to identify systemic improvements in regulatory oversight. The regulator reiterated that safety, compliance and operational resilience remain paramount and that the enforcement actions are aimed at strengthening the aviation ecosystem while safeguarding the well being of passengers, pilots, crew and other operational personnel.
