The Centre has told the Delhi High Court that it had ordered the dismissal of IndiGo’s vice president over last month’s cancellation chaos, several media reports said. Appearing before the court, the Centre added that a monetary penalty exceeding Rs 20 crore has also been imposed on the carrier.
The development comes on a day the country’s largest airline reported a 78 per cent decline in profit at Rs 549.1 crore for the three months ended December 2025.
It is learnt that the Centre has secured a bank guarantee worth Rs 50 crore from IndiGo as part of the enforcement measures to ensure compliance with aviation safety and operational norms.
News18 reported that the Centre also told the court that senior airline executives – including the chief operating officer (COO) – have been warned of strict action if the situation continues or similar violations recur.
The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on February 25.
IndiGo Assures No Cancellations After February 10
Earlier this week, IndiGo told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that it does not plan to cancel any flights after February 10 as it now has the required number of pilots to operate under the new norms. February 10 is the date from which the airline is required to implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules.
IndiGo was slapped with a fine of Rs 22.2 crore for the flight disruptions, which it has accounted for in exceptional items.
IndiGo carried nearly 32 million passengers
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in the December quarter, the company faced major operational disruptions that resulted in significant flight cancellations and delays from December 3 to 5.
“Despite these operational disruptions, IndiGo delivered a topline of around 245 billion rupees in the December quarter, reflecting a growth of around 7 per cent with a reported profit of around 5 billion rupees and an underlying profit excluding exceptional items and forex of 31 billion rupees,” Elbers said.
In the December quarter, the airline carried nearly 32 million passengers, and the total number of passengers flown last year stood at around 124 million.
The airline’s fleet had 440 planes at the end of the December quarter.
“Our long-term fundamentals remain strong, backed by our expanding fleet, growing domestic and international network,” Elbers said.
In early December, IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights, and delayed 1,852 flights, impacting over 3 lakh passengers at airports across the country, the regulator said in a statement on January 20.
Internal processes being strengthened: IndiGo CEO
To a query on the financial impact due to the airspace closure, Elbers said the airline has not precisely released a number while some of the flights, especially from the northern part of India, are having 20 to 30 minutes of additional travel time which means also burning more fuel.
IndiGo has assured operational stability and no flight cancellations after February 10, 2026, based on the current approved network, above crew strength, and the removal of the two FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) exemptions approved on December 6, 2025, according to the DGCA statement issued on January 20.