DGCA summons IndiGo CEO, orders audits at 11 airports as flight crisis deepens

India’s aviation regulator has intensified its response to IndiGo’s ongoing operational turmoil, summoning Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers for an emergency meeting and ordering immediate on-site audits at 11 airports to assess the scale of passenger disruption.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed Elbers and senior operational leaders to appear in Delhi on Thursday to submit “comprehensive data” explaining the airline’s failure to stabilise its network. The action follows days of widespread cancellations, overcrowded terminals, and a sharp rise in passenger complaints across key metro airports.

Regulatory intervention escalates

The move marks a clear shift from oversight to direct intervention. The DGCA has deployed inspection teams for snap audits at 11 critical airports, with officials given 48 to 72 hours to complete assessments and submit findings within 24 hours of completion.

The scope goes well beyond flight schedules. Inspectors are reviewing terminal congestion, queue management systems, staffing adequacy, and the functioning of 24x7 help desks. In an unusually firm move, DGCA teams have also been instructed to interact directly with passengers—elevating customer experience failures into a formal compliance issue.

Scope of inspections widens

The audits will cover basic passenger amenities, including the availability of drinking water, seating capacity in holding areas, and baggage-handling efficiency. Regulators are also evaluating assistance provided to elderly and vulnerable travellers, hygiene standards, and the physical presence of senior airline management during peak disruptions.

Separately, IndiGo has been instructed to present a concrete recovery roadmap across six areas: flight restoration, pilot and crew recruitment, refund processing, baggage return, crisis communication, and passenger rerouting policies.

Winter schedule cuts deepen impact

The summons comes after the government ordered a 10% reduction in IndiGo’s winter schedule—roughly 220 daily flights—in an effort to prevent cascading delays across the aviation network. Despite the curtailment, cancellations have continued, including dozens of dropped flights from Bengaluru alone on Wednesday.

The crisis, which began in early December, has been attributed to the airline’s inability to align operational scale with tighter safety and fatigue management requirements. Thousands of flights have been grounded nationwide, tightening seat availability, pushing up fares on rival carriers, and fuelling passenger anger over delayed communication and opaque refund timelines.

Management accountability under scrutiny

Elbers has said that many affected passengers have received refunds, though the airline has not disclosed detailed figures or addressed compensation for last-minute cancellations. Under India’s passenger rights framework, airlines are required to provide compensation in specified cases.

The DGCA has already issued show-cause notices to Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras, holding senior management directly accountable for the operational lapse.

For India’s aviation sector, the episode underscores the systemic risk posed when a dominant carrier—commanding a substantial share of domestic traffic—faces sustained operational paralysis, with spillover effects on pricing, airport efficiency, and regulatory confidence.

Brief summary

The DGCA has summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers for an urgent meeting and ordered audits at 11 airports following persistent flight cancellations and passenger disruption. Regulators are demanding a detailed recovery plan while conducting on-site assessments to evaluate service lapses, staffing gaps, and airport congestion linked to India’s largest airline.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Q1: Why has the DGCA summoned IndiGo’s leadership?

The regulator is seeking immediate explanations and detailed operational data following repeated cancellations, staffing shortfalls, and complaints that have strained India’s aviation network.

Q2: What do the airport audits cover?

DGCA teams are reviewing terminal congestion, baggage-handling delays, staffing adequacy, passenger communication, refund facilitation, and the availability of basic amenities such as water and seating.

Q3: What triggered the crisis at IndiGo?

A mismatch between IndiGo’s flight schedule and available crew resources—compounded by stricter enforcement of safety and fatigue norms—forced abrupt capacity reductions, leading to systemic disruption.

Q4: Are passengers entitled to refunds or compensation?

Yes. Refunds are mandatory for cancelled flights, and compensation applies in specific last-minute cancellation scenarios. Regulators are now scrutinising the speed and transparency of IndiGo’s refund processes.

Q5: How is this affecting the broader aviation market?

As India’s largest carrier, IndiGo’s capacity cuts have reduced overall seat supply, driven up fares on competing airlines, and increased congestion at major airports.