New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator has issued a show-cause notice to the CEO of IndiGo after a week of severe operational disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded and forced the airline to cancel nearly a thousand flights in a single day. The intervention is among the strongest actions taken by the DGCA in recent years amid growing public frustration over cancellations and long delays.
The regulator said the crisis stemmed from IndiGo’s failure to prepare for the rollout of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations for pilots, a policy notified months earlier and implemented from November 1. According to the notice, inadequate planning for the new duty and rest requirements led to crew shortages, a breakdown in scheduling and large-scale disruption across its extensive network.
The DGCA stated that the airline did not make necessary arrangements to manage the transition, resulting in violations of duty-time regulations and passenger-care requirements. It added that the airline did not ensure timely information, assistance or facilities for affected passengers during the chaotic period.
The notice holds the CEO responsible for the lapse, stating that effective operational readiness and passenger support fall under his oversight. He has been asked to respond within 24 hours, after which the regulator may proceed with further action.
IndiGo said it has now restored most of its operations, flying to 135 of its 138 destinations and expecting to operate more than 1,500 flights by Saturday. The airline apologised for the disruptions and said it was working to stabilise schedules after what it described as a network-wide reboot.
