NEW DELHI: India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Saturday imposed penalties totalling ₹22.20 crore on IndiGo for massive flight disruptions witnessed in December and issued warnings to Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and two other senior executives for non-compliance.
The regulator has also directed the airline to furnish a ₹50-crore bank guarantee to ensure long-term systemic corrections.
According to the DGCA, between December 3 and 5, a total of 2,507 flights were cancelled and 1,852 flights were delayed, affecting more than three lakh passengers at airports across the country.
Announcing the enforcement actions after a detailed probe, the DGCA cited over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, and deficiencies in system software support as the primary reasons behind the disruptions. The regulator also flagged shortcomings in IndiGo’s management structure and operational control.
The penalties imposed are among the highest ever levied by the DGCA on any airline for flight disruptions, and the accompanying regulatory measures are described as unprecedented.
In a statement, IndiGo said it has received the orders issued by the DGCA and that its Board and management are committed to fully complying with them. The airline said it will take appropriate corrective measures in a timely manner and that an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of its internal processes has been underway since the disruptions to ensure the airline emerges stronger.
In early December, IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights nationwide after failing to adequately prepare for the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots. The airline was later granted relaxation until February 10 to comply with the new rules.
The DGCA imposed a total penalty of ₹20.40 crore for non-compliance over 68 days, from December 5, 2025, to February 10, 2026, amounting to a fine of ₹30 lakh per day.
In addition, a one-time financial penalty was imposed on six counts for non-compliance with directions issued under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. These include a ₹30 lakh fine for failure to establish and effectively implement compliance schemes for flight time, duty periods, and rest limits, as well as another ₹30 lakh penalty for failure of accountable management to ensure operations met DGCA standards.
Further penalties of ₹30 lakh each were imposed for improper delegation and exercise of operational control responsibilities and for lapses in overall management oversight. IndiGo’s Chief Operating Officer, Isidre Porqueras, serves as the airline’s Accountable Manager.
The DGCA has also ordered IndiGo to pledge a ₹50-crore bank guarantee under a framework titled the IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme (ISRAS). The phased release of the guarantee will be strictly linked to DGCA-verified implementation of reforms.
Under the scheme, ₹10 crore is linked to leadership and governance reforms within three months; ₹15 crore to manpower planning, rostering, and fatigue-risk management over six months; another ₹15 crore to digital systems and operational resilience within nine months; and the remaining ₹10 crore to strengthened board-level oversight with sustained compliance over a 9–15 month period.
Release of the bank guarantee will be contingent upon independent verification and certification by the DGCA at each stage.
The enforcement actions followed a detailed probe by a four-member DGCA committee, which submitted its report late last month. Following the disruptions, the regulator had also curtailed IndiGo’s winter schedule flights by 10 per cent.
The committee’s findings and recommendations were forwarded to the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA). After due deliberations, the DGCA issued a warning to CEO Pieter Elbers for inadequate oversight of flight operations and crisis management. Warnings were also issued to the airline’s Accountable Manager for failure to assess the impact of the winter schedule and revised FDTL norms.
Additionally, the DGCA warned IndiGo’s Senior Vice President (Operations Control Centre) and directed that he be relieved of his current operational responsibilities and not assigned any accountable position. Warnings were also issued to several other senior officials, including the deputy head of flight operations, AVP of crew resource planning, and director of flight operations, for operational, supervisory, manpower planning, and roster management lapses.
