IndiGo crisis: DGCA issues show-cause notice to CEO over mass flight disruptions

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has held IndiGo’s senior leadership responsible for the ongoing operational chaos, issuing a show-cause notice to CEO Pieter Elbers as the airline continued to cancel flights on Sunday. The regulator has asked him to explain within 24 hours why action should not be taken in light of the nationwide disruptions caused by IndiGo’s delays and cancellations.

The notice states that the airline failed to comply with Rule 42A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and related Civil Aviation Requirements regarding pilot fatigue management.

According to the DGCA, “Whereas such large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management, and prima facie non-compliance on the part of the airline”.

The regulator further noted, “Whereas as the CEO you are responsible for ensuring effective management of the airlines, but you have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for the conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passenger”.

The DGCA pointed to “massive disruptions” in IndiGo’s operations, leading to “severe inconvenience, hardship and distress” for passengers, and said the collapse reflected “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management”.

In a video statement on Friday, Elbers said that given the carrier’s scale and complexity, restoring full normalcy would take time, adding that they “anticipate between the 10th and 15th of December” for operations to stabilise.

Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu told IANS that measures have been rolled out to reduce passenger impact during the ongoing crisis of delays and cancellations. He added that strict action may follow once the probe concludes.

“We are conducting a thorough investigation into Indigo. We will take whatever steps are necessary with utmost caution. The Ministry has also formed a four-member team for this,” the minister said.

To curb the sudden spike in ticket prices triggered by IndiGo’s disruptions, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has introduced a nationwide cap on domestic airfares, ranging from ₹7,500 to ₹18,000 depending on route length.