DGCA Forms Special Team to Monitor IndiGo Amid Widespread Flight Disruptions

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday announced the constitution of an eight-member special team to closely monitor IndiGo’s operations, as the airline continues to face severe disruptions across its network.

According to officials, two members of the team will be stationed at IndiGo’s corporate headquarters to examine daily operational processes, identify gaps, and ensure corrective measures are implemented swiftly. The DGCA’s intervention comes amid a prolonged crisis that has resulted in thousands of flight cancellations and delays, causing major congestion at airports nationwide and leaving passengers stranded in long queues.

The move follows a comprehensive review initiated earlier by the Ministry of Civil Aviation, which deployed senior officials to key airports to assess ground operations and ensure passenger concerns are addressed promptly. Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu confirmed that the Ministry and DGCA have been “constantly monitoring the situation across all the airports in real-time since December 3,” when operational irregularities at IndiGo began affecting schedules nationwide.

The minister described the events as “extraordinary circumstances” requiring immediate and sustained attention from the highest levels of the aviation establishment. A high-level review meeting attended by senior Ministry and DGCA officials focused on evaluating airport operations, airline responsiveness, and the quality of services provided to passengers impacted by delays and cancellations.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, speaking on Tuesday, said that the airline’s operations have stabilised after several days of major disruptions, which had left travellers stranded at numerous airports. The grounding of flights had primarily been triggered by a severe shortage of pilots under the new flight duty limitation regulations.

In a statement on X, Elbers said, “IndiGo is back on its feet,” adding that restoration activities were progressing on a “war footing.” He confirmed that the airline has now reinstated its full network of 138 destinations and is operating more than 1,800 flights daily. “Our operations are fully stabilised as of December 9,” he said, emphasising that the company is also conducting an internal review to understand the root causes of the disruptions, including resource planning and process management.

In response to the widespread cancellations, the Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday issued an order reducing IndiGo’s permissible flight operations by 10 percent. This followed a DGCA directive earlier in the day that required the airline to cut its flights by 5 percent. The measures aim to ease operational stress, ensure passenger safety, and allow the airline to stabilise its schedules.

The DGCA’s special monitoring team, along with ongoing Ministry oversight, reflects the government’s commitment to maintaining operational discipline in the civil aviation sector while safeguarding passenger interests during this challenging period for India’s largest low-cost carrier.

IndiGo’s network restoration, coupled with regulatory scrutiny, is expected to gradually improve airport congestion and passenger experience, as the airline works to resume normal operations after the unprecedented disruptions.