- Four IndiGo flight inspectors have been sacked for negligence in safety oversight
- IndiGo canceled thousands of flights this month due to crew mismanagement
- The cancellations peaked on December 5 and have declined since
India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has sacked four flight inspectors who oversaw safety and operational compliance of the crisis-hit IndiGo.
The action was taken due to negligence in inspection and monitoring of the airline.
IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights this month after failing to plan for tighter safety regulations, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded across the country. The cancellations peaked on December 5 and have declined since, with the airline saying on Tuesday that its operations have stabilised and are back to normal levels.
The DGCA has deployed two teams at the carrier's office in Gurugram to oversee various operations, including crew utilisation and refunds, sources said. The 'oversight teams' will submit a daily report to the regulator by 6 pm.
The first team is looking into aspects like the total fleet, pilot strength, crew utilisation (in hours), crew under training, split duties, unplanned leaves, standby crew, flights per day, and the total number of sectors affected on account of crew shortage. It will also keep an eye on the average stage length (distance flown in a single leg, from one takeoff to landing) and the airline's network to get a complete picture of the operations.
The second team is looking into problems caused by the crisis, including the refund status (both from the airline's end and websites/agents), compensation to passengers under the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), on-time performance, returning lost baggage and the cancellation status of various flights.
IndiGo's Ops Curtailed
IndiGo, the country's largest airline, has been told to cut down its operations by 10 per cent. With the airline operating around 2,200 flights a day, a 10 per cent reduction will involve the cancellation of more than 200 flights.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, while announcing the decision on Tuesday, said many passengers faced "severe inconvenience due to IndiGo's internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication".
"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding by it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," he posted on X after meeting the airline's CEO, Pieter Elbers.
He said IndiGo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures, "without any exception".
IndiGo's Rs 10,000 Travel Vouchers For "Severely Impacted" Customers
IndiGo on Thursday said that the passengers "severely impacted" during the chaos at airports from December 3 to 5 will receive Rs 10,000 in compensation.
The airline, however, did not specify what "severely impacted" means and how it would identify the customers for the compensation payout.
"IndiGo regrettably acknowledges that part of our customers travelling on 3/4/5 December 2025 were stranded for many hours at certain airports and number of them were severely impacted due to congestion. We will offer travel vouchers worth INR 10,000 to such severely impacted customers," the airline said in a statement on X.
"These travel vouchers can be used for any future IndiGo journey for the next 12 months," it added.
IndiGo said the compensation is additional to the compensation ranging from Rs 5,000-Rs 10,000 that it has committed as per the government's guidelines for customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time.
"At IndiGo, we are committed to restoring the experience you expect from us-safe, smooth, and reliable. Thank you for giving us the opportunity to serve you again," the statement read.
