DGCA Serves Show Cause Notice To IndiGo CEO Over Massive Flight Chaos

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Saturday, issued a show‑cause notice to IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Pieter Elbers, after a series of flight delays and cancellations that have left thousands of travellers stranded at airports across India. The civil aviation regulator’s action comes amid a storm of operational crises, a sudden shortage of pilots and the rollout of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). 

In the past week, IndiGo, which carries about two‑thirds of India’s domestic passengers, cancelled more than a thousand flights, including 124 in Bengaluru, 109 in Mumbai, 86 in New Delhi and 66 in Hyderabad, as the airline struggled to align its crew schedules with the new pilot‑rest rules introduced on November 1. 

DGCA's Review Meeting With IndiGo Officials

The DGCA convened a review meeting with IndiGo’s top officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation. In a strongly worded order, the regulator criticised the carrier’s planning failures and directed it to submit a comprehensive disruption‑management plan, boost passenger‑handling manpower and provide real‑time monitoring of its network to prevent further chaos . In the show-cause notice, the DGCA asked Elbers why the airline should not face penalties for the massive inconvenience caused to the public.

Airline’s Apology And Remedial Steps

Earlier, in a video message, IndiGo's CEO Pieter Elbers expressed regret for the hardship caused to customers and said the airline was working to restore a full schedule between December 10 to 15. IndiGo has promised to waive rescheduling fees for affected passengers, offer refunds within 48 hours, and arrange hotels and ground transport for those left stranded . The carrier also sought temporary exemptions from certain night‑duty provisions of the FDTL rules until February 10, next year, a request that the DGCA has granted on a provisional basis .

Civil Aviation Minister Orders High-Level Inquiry

Meanwhile, the families celebrating weddings, business travellers and holidaymakers found themselves stuck in airport terminals, some without luggage and many without clear information. One passenger, Satish Konde, stated that he had been waiting for his bags for hours after his Mumbai‑Nagpur flight was cancelled, a scene repeated at Bengaluru, Delhi and Mumbai, where crowds gathered outside terminals, voicing their frustration .

The civil aviation minister, K Ram Mohan Naidu, has ordered a high‑level inquiry to determine accountability and to recommend measures to avoid a repeat of the crisis. The DGCA will monitor IndiGo’s progress fortnightly and has warned that further regulatory action, including fines or operational restrictions, could follow if the airline fails to comply .

Govt Caps Ticket Fares

The Ministry of Civil Aviation revealed on Saturday that it is imposing a ceiling on ticket prices after fares surged on many routes in the wake of IndiGo’s operational turmoil. In its announcement, the ministry said it had taken note of complaints about unusually high fares being levied by some carriers during the ongoing disruption. Following the government's move, the airlines are now prohibited from charging passengers more than the stipulated maximum. 

The price limit will be enforced on all airline websites, mobile apps and third‑party booking platforms, though it will not include user‑development fees (UDF), passenger service fees (PSF), taxes, or apply to business‑class tickets or RCS‑UDAN flights. Under the new caps, carriers may not charge more than Rs 7500 for journeys up to 500 km, and no more than Rs 18,000 for flights longer than 1500 km.