DGCA Imposes Rs 22.20 Crore Penalty on IndiGo for Massive December 2025 Flight Disruptions

New Delhi: India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has slapped a total penalty of  Rs 22.20 crore  on IndiGo, the country's largest airline, for widespread operational disruptions in early December 2025 that stranded over three lakh passengers nationwide.

The penalties stem from a detailed inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and carried out by a four-member DGCA committee. The probe examined IndiGo's operations between December 3 and 5, 2025, when the airline cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 others , causing significant inconvenience across multiple airports.

The committee identified key causes as over-optimisation of schedules, inadequate preparation for revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms (governing pilot duty and rest hours), deficiencies in planning software, insufficient operational buffers, and lapses in management oversight and crew rostering.

The DGCA imposed a one-time systemic penalty of Rs 1.80 crore for six violations of Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs), including failure to effectively implement FDTL limits, improper delegation of operational control, neglect in balancing commercial goals with crew fatigue risks, and shortcomings by accountable management in upholding safety standards.

An additional  Rs 20.40 crore for prolonged non-compliance with the revised FDTL rules over 68 days (from December 5, 2025, to February 10, 2026), calculated at a daily fine of Rs 30 lakh .

To enforce long-term improvements, the DGCA has directed IndiGo to submit a Rs 50 crore bank guarantee under the newly introduced IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme (ISRAS). The guarantee will be released in phases, strictly tied to DGCA-verified progress across four key areas over 9 to 15 months.

The regulator has also issued warnings and cautions to senior IndiGo officials, including CEO Pieter Elbers for inadequate crisis oversight, the COO (Accountable Manager) for failing to assess the impact of the Winter 2025 schedule and new FDTL norms, and the Senior Vice President (Operations Control Centre), who has been directed to be relieved of current duties and barred from future accountable roles. Additional warnings were issued to other executives responsible for flight operations and crew planning.

IndiGo has acknowledged the orders and stated that its board and management are committed to implementing corrective measures promptly to strengthen operations and prevent future disruptions.

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