DGCA slaps ₹22.2 crore penalty on IndiGo for flight cancellations after inquiry finds crew were being over stretched

Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday (January 17, 2026) imposed a penalty of ₹22.2 crore on IndiGo airline for flight disruptions in December 2025, citing the overstretching of flight crew as the key factor behind the airline’s operational meltdown.

The DGCA has also issued a warning to CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras who were served a showcause notice and has ordered the removal of Senior Vice President , Operational Control Centre, Jason Herter from his current position “for failure in systemic planning and timely implementation of revised” duty and rest norms for pilots which kicked in from November 1.

The DGCA’s four-member inquiry committee found that there was “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. This approach compromised roster integrity and adversely impacted operational resilience,” the DGCA said in a press statement.

The enquiry also revealed deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure as well as operational control at IndiGo.

Further, the DGCA will also undertake an internal inquiry on the instruction of the Ministry of Civil Aviation to identify and implement systemic improvements as their have been questions on how the regulator allowed IndiGo a 10% hike in flights in the winter schedule without ascertaining its ability to comply with the new pilot rest and duty norms. Following the operational crisis in December, the DGCA found that IndiGo had 65 fewer captains that what it needed to comply with the new norms.

Warnings have also been issued to Deputy Head–Flight Operations, AVP–Crew Resource Planning, and Director–Flight Operations for operational, supervisory, manpower planning, and roster management lapses.

IndiGo has also been ordered to pledge a bank guarantee of ₹50 crore to ensure compliance with the directives and long-term systemic correction.

The DGCA will release this sum after verifying IndiGo’s implementation across key areas such as  leadership and governance, manpower planning, rostering and fatigue-risk management, digital systems and operational resilience.