2,507 flights were cancelled, 1,852 flights delayed, affecting over three lakh passengers between December 3 and 5.
IndiGo faces Rs 22.2 crore penalty after thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled in December, prompting DGCA-mandated reforms (Photo: X)
NEW DELHI: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has imposed a total penalty of Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo following large-scale flight disruptions between December 3 and 5 during last year in which 2,507 flights were cancelled and 1,852 flights were delayed, affecting more than three lakh passengers across multiple airports in the country.
The action follows a comprehensive inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and conducted by a four-member committee constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. DGCA imposed one-time systemic penalties amounting to Rs 1.80 crore for multiple violations of Civil Aviation Requirements, including failure to establish and effectively implement FDTL limits, failure to balance commercial imperatives with crew members' ability to work effectively, improper delegation and exercise of operational control responsibilities, and failure of accountable management and post holders to discharge duties in line with aviation safety standards.
In addition, for continued non-compliance with revised FDTL provisions for 68 days from 5 December 2025 to 10 February 2026, a daily penalty of Rs 30 lakh was imposed, amounting to Rs 20.40 crore. The total penalty imposed thus stands at Rs 22.20 crore.
In addition to the financial penalties, DGCA has ordered IndiGo to pledge a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore in favour of the regulator under the IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme. The phased release of the bank guarantee will be strictly linked to DGCA-verified implementation of systemic reforms across four pillars, including leadership and governance, manpower planning and fatigue risk management, digital systems and operational resilience, and sustained board-level oversight, over a period ranging from nine to fifteen months.
The committee examined IndiGo's network planning, crew rostering systems, software support, and overall operational and management controls. The inquiry found that the primary causes of the disruption were over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software, and shortcomings in management structure and operational control.
The committee observed that IndiGo's management failed to adequately identify planning deficiencies, maintain sufficient operational buffers, and effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation provisions. Crew rosters were designed to maximise utilisation of crew and aircraft, with heavy reliance on dead-heading, tail swaps, extended duty patterns, and minimal recovery margins, which significantly reduced operational resilience and led to cascading delays and cancellations.
The findings underlined the need for balanced operational planning, stronger compliance mechanisms, and effective management oversight to ensure sustainable operations and passenger convenience. Based on the findings, DGCA issued a caution to the airline's Chief Executive Officer for inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management. Warnings were issued to the Accountable Manager and Chief Operating Officer for failure to assess the impact of the Winter Schedule 2025 and the revised FDTL norms.
The Senior Vice President of the Operations Control Centre was warned, directed to be relieved of current operational responsibilities, and barred from holding any accountable position due to failures in systemic planning and timely implementation of revised FDTL provisions. Warnings were also issued to the Deputy Head of Flight Operations, AVP-Crew Resource Planning, and Director-Flight Operations for lapses in supervision, manpower planning, and roster management. IndiGo has been directed to take action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry and to submit a compliance report to DGCA.
