DGCA Suspends 4 Flight Operations Inspectors Overseeing IndiGo's Safety, Compliance

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) who were overseeing IndiGo’s safety and operational compliance, after preliminary findings indicated lapses in oversight relating to the airline’s recent operational crisis.

According to sources, the inspectors responsible for monitoring IndiGo’s flight operations were found at fault in the regulator’s initial review, prompting decisive action at a time when the airline is battling severe disruptions across its network.

Officials indicated that these inspectors were directly involved in supervising IndiGo’s operational checks, safety oversight, and compliance processes.

Top sources revealed to CNN-News18 that an action was also initiated against

some DGCA officials.

Their suspension follows concerns that gaps in monitoring may have contributed to the scale of disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded.

The action after the aviation watchdog significantly stepped up scrutiny of the airline. DGCA officials stationed themselves at IndiGo’s headquarters in Gurugram to monitor cancellations, crew deployment, refund processing, and routes impacted by staff shortages.

The presence of DGCA personnel is part of an unprecedented oversight arrangement put in place since Wednesday, under which two members from an oversight panel are now physically monitoring the airline’s daily operations.

IndiGo, India’s largest carrier by market share, has been grappling with widespread operational breakdowns triggered by planning failures linked to the implementation of new pilot duty and rest norms that came into effect on November 1.

The crisis resulted in thousands of flight cancellations, including over 200 at Delhi and Bengaluru airports on Thursday alone, news agency PTI quoted sources as saying.

As disruptions mounted, the civil aviation ministry directed IndiGo to reduce its winter schedule by 10 per cent from its normal 2,300 daily flights.

On Thursday, the airline said it expected to operate around 1,950 flights carrying nearly 3 lakh passengers, even as cancellations continued to affect travel plans nationwide.

Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was grilled for several hours by a DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday, and was asked to appear again on Friday as the regulator seeks detailed explanations on the root causes of the crisis.

The four-member inquiry committee has been tasked with examining manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline’s preparedness to implement the revised flight duty norms for pilots and crew.

IndiGo, in a regulatory filing, confirmed that Elbers has been summoned again on December 12 by the Committee of Officers at DGCA.

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