The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has launched an investigation into IndiGo after the airline faced days of widespread flight cancellations and delays across major airports. The regulator has asked IndiGo to submit a detailed explanation outlining the reasons behind the disruptions as well as a concrete mitigation plan to prevent further operational breakdowns. In recent days, more than a hundred flights were cancelled and many more delayed, with the airline’s on-time performance dropping sharply. According to data reviewed by the DGCA, IndiGo cancelled over a thousand flights in November alone, with a large portion linked to crew-related issues, especially after the implementation of updated Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules, which require longer rest periods and stricter limits on night operations. Other factors such as weather challenges, airspace congestion, and technical or scheduling issues also contributed to the cascading disruptions. The DGCA has summoned IndiGo’s senior management to present a full operational assessment and justify how such a large-scale breakdown occurred. It has also instructed the airline to outline immediate stabilisation measures for the next few days. The regulator emphasized that passenger inconvenience at this scale is unacceptable and that corrective action is mandatory. The probe may lead to increased regulatory oversight if the airline fails to demonstrate a credible recovery plan.
