DGCA chief shifted months after IndiGo disruptions

Three months after large-scale flight cancellations at IndiGo disrupted air travel across the country, the top official at India’s aviation safety regulator has been moved out.

EXPLAINED | Why were IndiGo operations disrupted?

The Appointments Committee of the Cabinet on Tuesday (March 31, 2026) announced that Director General of DGCA Faiz Kidwai will be shifted to the Department of Personnel and Training. He will be succeeded by Vir Vikram Yadav, currently serving in the Environment Ministry.

IndiGo cancelled over 5000 flights between November and December after failing to ensure adequate pilots to meet with the new norms for pilot duty and rest mandated by Delhi High Court in April 2025. As many as 10 lakh passengers were affected due to the network wide disruption.

Questions were also raised on how DGCA allowed IndiGo more flights in the winter schedule without assessing their ability to ensure adequate pilot availability.