Crisis-ridden IndiGo has appointed Chief Aviation Advisors LLC to conduct an independent expert review of its recent operational disruption and the factors that triggered it.
The consultancy is led by Captain John Illson, a veteran with more than four decades of aviation experience across the FAA, ICAO, IATA and major global carriers. The former airline captain earlier served as a senior advisor to the US aviation regulator FAA, helping develop strategies to enhance its safety-oversight systems. He has also held senior roles in aviation safety at various organisations, including a stint as chief of the Operational Safety Air Navigation Bureau at the UN aviation body ICAO.
Expert to Conduct Root-Cause Analysis
“With the board’s approval now in place, the review will begin at the earliest, and the independent expert reviewer will submit a comprehensive report to the Board upon completion,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.
The company said Captain Illson “brings extensive expertise in global aviation strategy, customised consulting, safety leadership, setting international standards, and new aircraft technologies.”
According to IndiGo, the objective of the exercise is to carry out an independent root-cause analysis of the recent operational disruption and identify opportunities for improvement.
The move follows a recommendation of the crisis management group (CMG) set up by the IndiGo Board. On Wednesday, the airline’s chairman, Vikram Singh Mehta, had announced that the board would involve an external technical expert to work with the management to determine the root causes and ensure corrective action, “so that this level of disruption never occurs again”.
Parallel Probe by DGCA and Stabilising Operations
Even as the company initiates its internal probe, the government is conducting its own investigation. A four-member DGCA panel is examining the unprecedented crisis. The committee—comprising Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik and FOI Lokesh Rampal—is reviewing IndiGo’s manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline’s preparedness to comply with new duty and rest norms for pilots that took effect on November 1.
IndiGo announced that it would operate more than 2,000 flights on December 12, 2025, as operations continue to stabilise. Over the past four days, flight numbers have steadily increased, with all 138 destinations connected and on-time performance returning to normal.
The carrier has cancelled more than 4,000 flights since December 2, with disruptions peaking on December 5 when it scrapped 1,600 services in a single day. While IndiGo said operations had stabilised, some cancellations continued through the day.