DGCA grants IndiGo 24-hour extension to respond to show-cause notice

According to the regulator, the extension has been provided as a single exception, and IndiGo is expected to file its detailed explanation within the revised deadline

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Sunday gave more time to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to submit their responses to the show causes notices seeking their explanations on the flight disruptions issued on December 6. The notice was served in connection with the airline’s large-scale operational disruptions and instances of regulatory non-compliance.

The official said the deadline for replies were extended following requests from both the airline executives. The two executives on Sunday had sought additional time for a response citing operational constraints due to the scale of its nationwide operations and multiple unavoidable factors that contributed to disruptions across several airports, the official said.

According to the regulator, the extension has been provided as a single exception, and IndiGo is expected to file its detailed explanation within the revised deadline.  The DGCA had issued the notice after thousands of passengers were affected across major airports, with many flights cancelled, delayed or left without proper communication.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers, holding the airline responsible for the large-scale disruptions that have plagued its network over the past week. The regulator has flagged “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management,” placing the blame squarely on the airline’s top management.

The notice, served on Saturday, directs the CEO to explain within 24 hours why action should not be taken, after widespread cancellations and delays left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.

According to the DGCA, the “primary cause” of the crisis was IndiGo’s failure to make “adequate arrangements” to comply with revised staffing, duty-time and rostering requirements introduced under the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) scheme.

The regulator said the resulting breakdown in operations reflected “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management,” amounting to prima facie violations of Aircraft Rules, 1937 (Rule 42A) and relevant Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) governing duty periods, flight time limits and mandatory rest for crew.

Passenger-handling failures were also highlighted, with the DGCA noting that IndiGo did not provide required facilities or information to travellers affected by cancellations, delays or denied boarding—contravening CAR norms related to passenger rights.

The week-long turbulence in India’s aviation sector has been driven by IndiGo’s cancellations, severe delays and large-scale rescheduling linked to a sudden shortage of pilots and crew after the revised FDTL norms came into effect. The collapse in operations led to long queues, extended waiting hours and inadequate support at airports nationwide, prompting passengers to demand timely updates and better assistance from the airline.

*With Agency Inputs