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IndiGo Crisis Deepens; Govt Orders 10% Flight Cut, DGCA Launches Probe

  • By Thetripurapost Desk, New Delhi
  • Dec 11, 2025
  • 513

In a rapidly escalating aviation crisis, IndiGo has announced additional compensation for thousands of passengers affected by mass flight cancellations earlier this month. The airline said on Thursday that travellers impacted between December 3 and 5 will receive a ₹10,000 travel voucher, which can be used for any IndiGo flight over the next 12 months, in addition to refunds. This compensation will come on top of the ₹5,000–₹10,000 payout mandated when flights are cancelled within 24 hours of departure.

However, the airline did not clarify what constitutes “extreme inconvenience”, leaving uncertainty about who will qualify for the new voucher scheme.

The crisis prompted IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers to appear before the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Thursday for nearly two hours of questioning. Officials interrogated him on matters related to operations, crew management failures, large-scale cancellations, refund delays, and transparency in compensation.

DGCA Tightens Rules After Systemic Lapses

Following repeated disruptions and over 5,000 flight cancellations in eight days, the DGCA has issued a stringent 12-page order, aiming to overhaul the technical fault reporting system.

Under the new rules:

  • Any flight delayed over 15 minutes due to technical issues must now undergo a mandatory investigation.

  • Airlines must explain the cause, rectification process, and preventive measures.

  • All “major defects” must be reported to the DGCA immediately by phone, followed by a detailed report within 72 hours.

  • A defect appearing three times will be marked as a “repetitive defect”, triggering a special probe.

The regulator said the earlier system lacked robust checks for delay patterns and had no mechanism to track repeat defects, contributing to the current crisis.

High-Level Inspections at 11 Airports

As part of intensified supervision, DGCA teams will conduct on-site inspections at 11 major airports, including Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Surat, Shirdi, Cochin, Lucknow, Amritsar and Dehradun.
Officials must submit their reports to the DGCA’s Flight Safety Directorate within 24 hours of the inspection.

Government: IndiGo and DGCA Both Under Scrutiny

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the crisis suggests “deliberate negligence” rather than accidental failure. He confirmed that not only IndiGo but also the DGCA’s own role will be investigated.

He did not rule out the possibility of removing IndiGo’s CEO, saying:
“If necessary, he will definitely be removed. Whatever legal action is required will be taken.”

Naidu added that he had been working nearly round-the-clock for a week to resolve passenger difficulties.

Govt Orders 10% Cut in IndiGo Flights

In a major corrective step, the government has ordered IndiGo to cut 10% of its flights, especially on high-demand routes. This will remove nearly 230 flights from its daily schedule of 2,300 services.

On Tuesday alone, more than 422 flights were cancelled. The crisis has now reached the Delhi High Court.