DGCA Fires Inspectors and Orders IndiGo to Cut 10% of Flights

The operational turmoil at IndiGo, India’s largest airline, escalated dramatically this week as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) fired four of its own senior Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs).

This decisive and rare action against regulatory staff came as IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned for fresh questioning by the DGCA inquiry panel, underscoring the severe governmental scrutiny facing the airline.

The crisis stems from a massive wave of flight cancellations—numbering in the thousands—that have crippled travel across the country since early December, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded.

The disruptions are primarily attributed to IndiGo’s inadequate preparation for the full implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, which impose stricter limits on pilot duty hours and mandate extended rest periods.

Accountability for Oversight Failures

The DGCA terminated the services of four contract-based FOIs—including Deputy Chief FOI Rish Raj Chatterjee and Senior FOI Seema Jhamnani—citing serious lapses in their inspection and monitoring duties.

These officials were responsible for ensuring IndiGo’s operational readiness and compliance with safety standards, including adherence to the new FDTL framework.

The dismissals signal that the regulator is looking inward and holding its oversight mechanism accountable for failing to prevent the systemic crisis.

The four-member DGCA committee asked CEO Pieter Elbers to appear for a second consecutive day.

The panel is intensely scrutinizing the airline’s crew deployment strategy, rostering practices, and overall manpower planning leading up to the operational meltdown.

Regulatory Intervention and Stabilization Efforts for IndiGo

In an immediate measure to stabilize the airline’s schedule and halt further chaos, the DGCA ordered IndiGo to reduce its approved winter schedule by approximately 10%.

With the carrier typically operating around 2,200 flights daily, this directive translates to over 200 daily cancellations until the airline can demonstrate reliable compliance.

Furthermore, the regulator has deployed two specialized oversight teams to the airline’s Gurugram headquarters.

These teams daily track operational functions in real-time, including pilot availability, crew utilization, and, critically, the timely processing of passenger refunds and compensation.

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu publicly blamed the crisis on IndiGo’s “gross mismanagement,” promising stringent action against those found responsible to “set an example” for the industry.

To address the chaos, IndiGo has appointed an external aviation expert, Captain John Illson, to conduct an independent review of the disruption, seeking external guidance to identify root causes and implement necessary structural reforms.

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