NEW DELHI, Jan 17: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of ₹22.2 crore on the IndiGo airline for massive disruption in December, the regulator said in a statement on Saturday.
The fine comes over a month after the airline regulator constituted a four-member committee to probe widespread disruption between December 3 and 5 during which Indigo had witnessed cancellation of 2,507 flights and 1,852 delays.
IndiGo had attributed the chaos seen even in major airports across the country, to a “multitude of unforeseen operational challenges,” including minor tech glitches, winter schedule changes, congestion, and weather.
“Following the large-scale delays and cancellations reported by M/s IndiGo during the period from 3rd to 5th December 2025—resulting in the cancellation of 2,507 flights and delays of 1,852 flights and causing inconvenience to over three lakh passengers stranded at various airports, on the directions of MoCA, a four-member Committee was constituted by DGCA to undertake a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances leading to the operational disruptions of M/s IndiGo,” a statement of the agency said.
The DGCA said the committee conducted a detailed inquiry and thoroughly studied the network planning, rostering and software being deployed by Indigo for the same. The committee found that the disruptions were caused by over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software support, and shortcomings in IndiGo’s management structure and operational control.
“The Committee observed that the airline’s management failed to adequately identify planning deficiencies, maintain sufficient operational buffer, and effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) provisions,” the DGCA statement said, adding that the lapses resulted in widespread flight delays and large-scale cancellations, causing inconvenience to passengers.
The committee further noted an overriding focus on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft, and network resources, which significantly reduced roster buffer margins. “Crew rosters were designed to maximise duty periods, with increased reliance on dead-heading, tail swaps, extended duty patterns, and minimal recovery margins,” it said.
The DGCA’s ₹22.2 crore fine include a daily penalty of ₹30 lakh for 68 days of non-compliance. The total fine includes one-time systemic penalties of ₹1.8 crore. Indigo has also been imposed a bank guarantee of ₹50 crore. In response to the DGCA order, Indigo said it would take full cognizance of the orders and take appropriate measures. It also said an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of the internal processes at IndiGo has been underway since the disruption.
“The Board and the Management of IndiGo are committed to taking full cognizance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures. Additionally, 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 Indigo statement said.
It said the airline remain committed to steadfastly serving the needs of the people, and in ensuring that the country emerges as a global aviation major by 2030.
(Manas Dasgupta)