After mass flight cancellations, DGCA removes four inspectors overseeing IndiGo Ops

Four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) have been dismissed from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) amid the ongoing crisis involving massive IndiGo flight cancellations.

According to an official citing an order dated December 11, the DGCA has terminated the contractual agreements of these inspectors in connection with the airline’s operational disruptions. The relieved officers include Deputy Chief FOI Rishi Raj Chatterjee, Senior FOI Seema Jhamnani, and consultants Anil Kumar Pokhariyal and Priyam Kaushik. FOIs are responsible for monitoring airline safety, pilot training, and overall operational compliance.

The DGCA has also summoned IndiGo’s senior leadership as part of its investigation. Both Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras and Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers were called for questioning on Friday by a four-member DGCA committee, with the CEO scheduled to appear in the afternoon.

Government data revealed that IndiGo cancelled approximately 1,580 flights on December 5 alone. Between December 1 and 9, the airline cancelled around 4,290 domestic and 64 international flights. At the height of the crisis on December 5, the carrier scrapped 1,588 domestic flights, nearly 79% of its schedule. Although IndiGo has claimed that operations began stabilising from December 8, cancellations continued, with over 200 flights scrapped on Thursday and 54 more by Friday morning.

The disruptions primarily stemmed from IndiGo’s difficulties in implementing the second phase of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) introduced on November 1, along with what government officials described as mismanagement of crew rostering. In response, the government has directed IndiGo to reduce its daily operations by 10% until the situation improves.