DGCA Cracks Down, Orders Immediate Inspections At 11 Airports As IndiGo Crisis Throws Air Travel Into Chaos

New Delhi: As chaotic scenes unfolded at airports across India while the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, battled operational issues, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday ordered immediate on-site inspections at eleven airports nationwide.

The 11 airports identified for urgent checks include Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, Surat, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Shirdi, Cochin, Lucknow, Amritsar and Dehradun.

As per the order, the officials have been asked to visit the airport within 2-3 days and asked to submit a comprehensive report to DGCA within 24 hours of inspection.

Check Safety Preparedness

Amid the massive disruption and chaos that engulfed airports across India, the DGCA stepped in and stated that the inspection was mainly to check safety preparedness, operational readiness, airlines responsiveness during the time of crisis.

Officials have also been asked to review flight delays and cancellations, assess terminal congestion, monitor queue management at check-in counters, security checkpoints and boarding gates, and evaluate whether IndiGo and the airports have deployed adequate operational staff, according to reports.

Furthermore, officials have been asked to verify whether airline help desks are operating round the clock, ensure that accurate and timely information on delays and cancellations is being provided to the flyers, and check the availability of essential amenities such as drinking water.

The regulator has further asked to check if proper assistance is provided to senior citizens, children, pregnant women and passengers with reduced mobility.

Review of Seating Arrangements

In addition, the order calls for a review of seating arrangements in holding areas, the presence of senior airline management at airports, the hygiene and cleanliness of toilets and other terminal facilities, and the deployment of housekeeping staff.

The officials have also been asked to keep a check on pending baggage status deliveries and address the backlog, if any. Furthermore, they have also asked to communicate with passengers directly to get feedback on the support given.

DGCA has also directed officers to verify whether IndiGo help desks are functioning, whether the airline and airport operators have set up operational control rooms, and whether grievance-handling mechanisms are working effectively.

Scrutiny Of Timeliness Of SMS

The order also talks about scrutiny of timeliness of SMS, WhatsApp and email notifications being sent to passengers regarding delays and cancellations of their respective flights. 

Furthermore, all officers have been ordered to coordinate with airport directors, airline station heads, Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and airport operators.

The DGCA’s move comes amid rising public frustration over repeated delays, cancellations, and poor crowd management at several airports handling IndiGo flights. The disruptions have left thousands of passengers stranded for hours, triggering complaints over inadequate staffing, lack of information, and long queues across terminals.

DGCA forms oversight team

In a big move, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation has decided to come up with an oversight team to monitor IndiGo operations, including total fleet, pilot numbers, crew utilisation and unplanned leaves.

An oversight Team comprising eight members will be tasked with conducting reviews and two of the 8 members will be deployed to IndiGo's corporate office and will be in charge of total airline fleet, average stage length, total number of pilots, flights per day and available crew, network details, crew utilisation, crew under training, split duties, unplanned leaves, and standby crew per day.

Furthermore, the teams are also required to submit daily report by 6 pm where the two officers at corporate office will monitor flight cancellations, refund status, compensation to passengers, among others. 

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