The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.2 crore on IndiGo and initiated disciplinary action against several senior executives after a probe found that aggressive operational optimisation, weak regulatory preparedness and systemic management failures led to large-scale flight disruptions in early December 2025.
The action follows the cancellation of 2,507 IndiGo flights and delays to another 1,852 services between December 3 and 5, 2025, leaving more than three lakh passengers stranded across airports. Acting on directions from the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA), the DGCA had constituted a four-member committee to investigate the episode.
Responding to the regulatory action, IndiGo said it would take “full cognisance” of the findings. A statement from the Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors of InterGlobe Aviation Limited said it is committed to taking full cognisance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures. It added that an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of internal processes has been underway since the disruption, with the objective of ensuring that the airline emerges stronger from the episode.
Systemic Management Failures
The committee’s findings point to over-optimisation of operations and inadequate buffers in crew and aircraft deployment, compounded by deficiencies in planning, rostering software and operational control.
It also flagged shortcomings in the airline’s management structure and failure to effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms introduced ahead of the Winter Schedule 2025.
According to the DGCA, IndiGo’s management prioritised maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft and network resources, resulting in tightly packed rosters with minimal recovery margins. The inquiry found excessive reliance on dead-heading, tail swaps and extended duty patterns, which eroded operational resilience and ultimately triggered widespread delays and cancellations.
Based on these findings, the regulator issued a caution to IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer for inadequate oversight and crisis management, and warnings to the Accountable Manager and Chief Operating Officer for failing to assess the impact of the revised FDTL norms. The Senior Vice President (Operations Control Centre) has been directed to be relieved of operational responsibilities and barred from holding any accountable position. Warnings were also issued to senior officials in flight operations and crew resource planning.
The DGCA penalty included, one-time penalties of ₹1.8 crore for multiple violations of Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs), including failure to ensure effective compliance with FDTL limits, improper delegation of operational control and lapses in accountable management oversight. In addition, IndiGo has been fined ₹20.4 crore for continued non-compliance with the revised FDTL provisions for 68 days between December 5, 2025 and February 10, 2026, at a daily penalty of ₹30 lakh.
ISRAS Framework
Beyond financial penalties, the regulator has ordered IndiGo to furnish a ₹50-crore bank guarantee under a newly instituted IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme (ISRAS). The guarantee will be released in phases, strictly linked to DGCA-verified implementation of reforms across leadership and governance, manpower planning and fatigue-risk management, digital systems and operational resilience, and sustained board-level oversight over a 9–15 month period.
The DGCA acknowledged that IndiGo restored normal operations relatively quickly after the disruption and noted that the airline has processed refunds and statutory compensation.
On MoCA’s directions, IndiGo has also issued a one-time “Gesture of Care” voucher worth ₹10,000, valid for 12 months, to passengers whose flights were cancelled or delayed by over three hours during the affected period.
The regulator also said an internal inquiry has been initiated to identify and implement systemic improvements within the DGCA .