DGCA slaps Rs 22.2-Cr penalty on IndiGo over December flight disruptions

Aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on January 17, imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo Airlines over massive flight disruptions witnessed in December and issued warnings to CEO Pieter Elbers and two other senior executives for non-compliance with regulatory norms.
The regulator has also directed the airline to furnish a Rs 50-crore bank guarantee to ensure long-term systemic reforms and compliance with its directives.
According to DGCA, between December 3 and 5, a total of 2,507 IndiGo flights were cancelled and 1,852 flights were delayed, impacting more than three lakh passengers across airports in the country.
Announcing the enforcement action after a detailed probe, the DGCA cited over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness and deficiencies in system software support as the primary reasons for the disruptions. Shortcomings in management structure and operational control were also flagged.
The penalties are among the largest ever imposed by the regulator on an airline for flight disruptions, and the accompanying regulatory actions are unprecedented.
In a statement, IndiGo said it is “in receipt of the orders of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation of India” and added that its board and management are committed to taking full cognisance of the directives.
“An in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of internal processes has been underway since the disruptions to ensure that the airline emerges stronger,” the airline said.
In early December, IndiGo had cancelled hundreds of flights after failing to adequately prepare for the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots. The airline was later granted relaxation till February 10 to comply with the new norms.
The DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 20.40 crore for non-compliance over a 68-day period from December 5, 2025 to February 10, 2026, amounting to a fine of Rs 30 lakh per day. Additionally, a one-time financial penalty on six counts has been imposed under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.
The regulator levied separate penalties of Rs 30 lakh each for failure to effectively implement flight time and rest period compliance systems, inadequate buffer margins in roster planning, improper delegation of operational control responsibilities, and failure of accountable management to ensure operations meet DGCA standards. IndiGo Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras is the airline’s Accountable Manager.
Further, the DGCA ordered IndiGo to pledge a Rs 50-crore bank guarantee under the IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme (ISRAS). The phased release of the guarantee will be linked to DGCA-verified implementation of reforms across four areas—leadership and governance, manpower planning and fatigue-risk management, digital systems and operational resilience, and board-level oversight.
The enforcement actions follow a probe conducted by a four-member DGCA committee, which submitted its findings last month. Following the disruptions, the regulator had also curtailed IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10 per cent.
The DGCA issued a warning to CEO Pieter Elbers for inadequate oversight of flight operations and crisis management, and to the airline’s Accountable Manager for failing to assess the impact of the winter schedule and revised FDTL norms. A warning was also issued to the Senior Vice President (Operations Control Centre), directing that he be relieved of current operational responsibilities.
Warnings have additionally been issued to several other senior officials, including the deputy head of flight operations, assistant vice president (crew resource planning), and director (flight operations), for lapses in operational supervision, manpower planning and roster management.