The DGCA suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors responsible for airline safety and pilot training after thousands were stranded by IndiGo’s massive wave of cancellations.
December 12, 2025: India’s aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has taken decisive action by suspending four Flight Operation Inspectors (FOIs) following the mass cancellation of IndiGo flights that have stranded thousands of passengers nationwide since early December. The suspended officials were responsible for overseeing airline safety, pilot training, and operational compliance.
Regulatory Fallout and IndiGo’s Struggles
The suspensions come just hours ahead of the expected appearance of IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers before the aviation regulator to address the unprecedented disruption.
The crisis stems from days of rampant cancellations across IndiGo’s network, which peaked with over 1,600 cancellations in a single day last Friday. In total, nearly 5,000 flight cancellations have been recorded since the disruptions began on December 2.
The widespread chaos has been primarily attributed to IndiGo’s reported failure to implement the second phase of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which came into effect in November. The government has also directly blamed the airline’s “mismanagement” and poor handling of its crew roster. The FDTL norms, which aim to enhance pilot safety by increasing mandatory weekly rest periods from 36 to 48 hours and restricting night operations, exposed a significant crew shortage in IndiGo’s tightly-scheduled operations.
Government Intervention
In response to the mounting public inconvenience, the government has announced several strong measures:
- Operational Cuts: The DGCA ordered IndiGo, the country’s largest domestic carrier, to cut its daily operations by 10% to stabilize its schedule. IndiGo, which usually operates around 2,300 flights daily in its winter schedule, is now expected to operate about 1,950 flights carrying around 3 lakh passengers.
- Fare Control: The government directed other airlines to cap their flight ticket prices to prevent predatory surge pricing during the crisis.
- Refunds: Strict deadlines have been set for the airline to issue refunds to affected passengers.
DGCA officials were reportedly stationed at IndiGo’s headquarters on Thursday to directly monitor operations, a day when over 200 flights were cancelled at major hubs like Delhi and Bangalore. Notably, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu recently informed Parliament that the airline had not flagged any issues at a meeting held just one day before the mass disruptions began.