DGCA flags IndiGo's lapses causing massive pan-India chaos, reveals what led to cascading delays

IndiGO

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday held that IndiGo failed to adequately prepare for the implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, leading to widespread flight disruptions impacting hundreds of routes.

The aviation watchdog said this in an order pausing the FDTL to mitigate the severe disruption in flight schedules and stabilise services without delay.

The DGCA said it has constituted a four-member high-level committee to investigate the circumstances that led to the chaos.

In a detailed order, DGCA said it had issued “repeated directions and advance instructions” to IndiGo to ensure timely readiness for the new Crew Duty and Rest regulations.

However, despite these warnings, the airline was unable to accurately forecast crew availability, conduct timely training, or realign rosters. It said that such shortcomings triggered cascading delays and cancellations beginning late November 2025.

The regulator noted that during a review meeting earlier, IndiGo acknowledged that it had failed to anticipate the actual crew requirement under the revised norms and admitted to “significant planning and assessment gaps” in implementing Phase-II of the FDTL CAR 2024.

According to DGCA, this lack of preparedness led to 170–200 daily flight cancellations, severely impacting network integrity and passenger convenience.

Calling these lapses a prima facie indication of “deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning,” DGCA said an independent examination was necessary.

The regulator has set up a four-member probe committee comprising Sanjay K Bramhan (Joint Director General), Amit Gupta (Deputy Director General), Capt. Kapil Manglik (SFOI) and Capt. Lokesh Rampal, (FOI)

The committee has been tasked with conducting a comprehensive review of the events leading to the disruptions and will recommend further regulatory action.

The crisis, sparked after IndiGo - which flies two out of three passengers across India - failed to plan for new pilot flying-time regulations, leaving travellers missing everything from wedding receptions to job interviews and onward international connections.

The crisis at IndiGo stems from new regulations that boost pilots' weekly rest requirements by 12 hours to 48 and allowed only two night-time landings per week, down from six. IndiGo has attributed the mass cancellations to "misjudgment and planning gaps".