DGCA Enhances Oversight by Deploying Staff at IndiGo Headquarters Amid Flight Cancellations

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is intensifying its scrutiny of IndiGo, India's largest airline, by deploying personnel at its headquarters. Despite IndiGo's claims of stabilised operations, flight cancellations persist. An oversight team of eight senior captains, including two government officials, will be stationed at IndiGo's Gurgaon office to monitor cancellations, crew deployment, unplanned leave, and routes affected by staff shortages.

Since December 2, IndiGo has cancelled over 4,000 flights, affecting thousands of passengers. This disruption has led to stranded travellers missing vacations, meetings, and weddings. The DGCA's latest order is part of a series of actions taken against the airline, which holds more than 65% market share. The cancellations peaked on December 5 but have since decreased.

DGCA's Oversight Measures

The DGCA has summoned IndiGo's CEO Pieter Elbers to present a detailed report on the disruptions. Senior DGCA officials will conduct immediate inspections at 11 domestic airports. Officers will visit these airports within the next two to three days and submit reports to the Director of Operations for flight safety in New Delhi within 24 hours of their visits.

IndiGo's operational model relied heavily on aggressive scheduling and maximum night-flight utilisation. This approach faltered when stricter safety regulations increased pilots' mandatory rest periods and reduced permissible night-landings. Consequently, on-time performance dropped significantly, leading to daily flight cancellations and chaos at major airports with stranded passengers.

Legal and Governmental Actions

The Delhi High Court has questioned the central government for not acting sooner to address the crisis. Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela asked why the situation was allowed to escalate and directed both the government and the airline to compensate affected passengers adequately. A committee inquiry into the disruptions is expected to be completed by January 22.

The DGCA previously issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's CEO and COO regarding the disruptions. A four-member panel has been established to investigate these lapses. Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu has mandated a 10% reduction in IndiGo's planned flights to align schedules with available pilots.

Monitoring and Reporting

The personnel stationed at IndiGo's corporate office will oversee various aspects such as cancellation status for domestic and international flights, refund status, on-time performance, passenger compensation, and baggage return. The captains will daily review fleet details, average stage length, pilot numbers, network details, crew utilisation hours, unplanned leaves like sick or casual leave, flights per day versus available crew, sectors affected by crew shortages, and standby crew per base cockpit and cabin.

IndiGo stated that operations have returned to normal levels despite ongoing cancellations affecting nearly 220 flights at major airports like Delhi and Mumbai. As part of its winter schedule for 2025-26, the airline operates over 2,200 flights daily.

The DGCA aims to mitigate passenger inconvenience caused by large-scale disruptions at various airports nationwide through this oversight initiative. The regulator has also requested information from IndiGo on flight restoration plans, recruitment strategies for pilots and crew, current pilot and cabin crew strength, cancelled flights count, refunds processed, among other details.

With inputs from PTI