India’s largest airline, IndiGo, on Monday (December 8) asked the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for 13 more days to pinpoint the exact causes which led to the cancellation of around 3,000 flights in December 2025.
The airline, while responding to the DGCA’s show-cause notices to Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras regarding the recent flight chaos, said that due to IndiGo’s complexity and vast scale of operations, “it was realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact cause(s)” the led to widespread flight cancellation across its network.
What did IndiGo say?
IndiGo pointed out that DGCA’s manual allows a fifteen-day response timeline for show-cause notices and said that it will conduct a comprehensive ‘Root Cause Analysis’ and share it with the DGCA.
The low-cost carrier also said that it was “profusely apologetic” and deeply regrets the inconvenience and hardship caused to customers.
IndiGo said that the disruptions since the start of December were due to the “compounding effect of multiple factors,” including minor technical glitches, schedule changes linked to the start of the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and implementation of and operation under the updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitation Phase II) norms.
The airline also pointed out that had earlier reached out to the DGCA seeking variations, exemptions, or extensions from implementing the new rostering norms.
DGCA’s statement on Saturday
The DGCA had on Saturday issued show-cause notices to IndiGo’s CEO and COO and had given the airline’s management 24 hours to respond to its show-cause notice.
In its statement on Saturday the DGCA had said that the main reason for the flight disruptions was due to a lack of proper arrangements to meet the updated requirements for effectively implementing the approved new flight duty time limitations (FDTL) scheme for the airline.
“It has been noticed that the primary cause of said flight disruptions is non- provisioning of adequate arrangements to cater to the revised requirements for smooth implementation of the approved FDTL scheme for the airline,” the DGCA said in a letter to IndiGo. The notice indicates that there were issues with planning, oversight, and resource management, which violated FDTL the rules.
It also states that IndiGo failed to provide passengers with the information and facilities mandated during cancellations, long delays and denied boarding.
The regulator directly held the CEO responsible, saying he “failed in his duty” to ensure reliable operations and to provide the facilities passengers are entitled to.
Elbers has been directed to show cause within 24 hours of receipt of the notice as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated against him under the relevant provisions of the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements.
“Failure to submit your reply within the stipulated period shall result in the matter being decided ex-parte,” the regulator said.
IndiGo faces potential regulatory action over flight disruptions stemming from its failure to implement the new FDTL, which began on November 1, 2025.
Earlier today, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that the IndiGo flight disruptions were not caused by the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, but by the airline’s own internal rostering and operational lapses.
The minister stressed that the revised FDTL rules had been functioning smoothly for a full month before the December 3 crisis and that IndiGo alone was responsible for managing crew scheduling and day-to-day operations.
IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has faced widespread operational strain since December 1, prompting hundreds of cancellations and delays across major hubs.