DGCA fines IndiGo ₹22.20 cr for December meltdown, warns CEO, COO and SVP Operations over failures

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday imposed a penalty of Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo for large-scale flight disruptions in December 2025. The aviation regulator has also warned the senior management on the lapses last month.

The fine includes, one-time systemic penalties of Rs 1.80 crore for multiple violations of Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs). Additionally, for continued non-compliance with revised FDTL norms over 68 days, DGCA levied a daily penalty of Rs 30 lakh, amounting to Rs 20.40 crore. The total penalty stands at Rs 22.20 crore.

As many as 2,507 IndiGo flights were cancelled and 1,852 flights delayed between December 3 and 5, leaving over three lakh passengers stranded across airports.


Meanwhile, IndiGo in a statement said it is “commited to taking full cognizance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures."

"Addionally, an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of the internal processes at IndiGo has
been underway since the disruption to ensure that the airline emerges stronger out of these events in
its otherwise pristine record of 19+ years of operations," the statement added.

DGCA finds faults, warns senior management
DGCA on Saturday said its four-member inquiry committee found that the crisis was triggered by over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software, and shortcomings in management structure and operational control.

The committee observed that IndiGo’s management failed to identify planning gaps, maintain sufficient operational buffers, and effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. These lapses led to widespread delays and cancellations, causing significant inconvenience to passengers.

The inquiry also highlighted an excessive focus on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft and network resources, which sharply reduced roster buffer margins. Crew schedules were designed to maximise duty periods, relying heavily on dead-heading, tail swaps, extended duty patterns and minimal recovery margins—compromising operational resilience.

The committee’s findings underscored the need for balanced operational planning, robust regulatory preparedness, and strong management oversight to ensure passenger safety and convenience.

After examining the report, DGCA initiated enforcement action against officials of InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo’s parent company. The regulator issued a caution to the CEO for inadequate oversight of operations and crisis management, and a warning to the Accountable Manager (COO) for failing to assess the impact of the Winter Schedule 2025 and revised FDTL norms.

A warning was also issued to the Senior Vice President (OCC), with directions to relieve him of current operational responsibilities and not assign any accountable role, citing failure in systemic planning and timely implementation of revised FDTL provisions.

Warnings were further issued to the Deputy Head–Flight Operations, AVP–Crew Resource Planning, and Director–Flight Operations for lapses in operational supervision, manpower planning and roster management. IndiGo has been directed to take action against other personnel identified in its internal inquiry and submit a compliance report to DGCA.

Earlier, DGCA said it has asked the airline to process refunds for all passengers affected by cancellations between December 3 and 5. IndiGo informed the regulator that all refunds have been fully processed to the original mode of payment. As an additional measure, IndiGo has offered affected passengers a “gesture of care” comprising two travel vouchers of Rs 5,000 each, valid for 12 months.

Passengers are also entitled to compensation under DGCA regulations relating to facilities for denied boarding, cancellations and delays. However, complaints regarding non-receipt of refunds for flights cancelled between December 2 and 9 continue to surface on social media.