Indigo crisis: DGCA forms high-level four-member panel to probe operational 'lapses'

The regulator said all scheduled airlines, including IndiGo, were "repeatedly advised" to undertake comprehensive manpower planning and roster restructuring.

New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday ordered a high-level inquiry, headed by its Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, to investigate what went wrong with IndiGo as its schedule went haywire in the past few days leading to cancellation of a large number of services.

As it prima facie felt that there were "deficiencies" in internal oversight, operational preparedness and compliance planning "warranting an independent examination", the DGCA said its four-member committee will undertake a "comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances" that led to "such a massive disruption" in scheduled flights.

A large number of IndiGo flights were cancelled in the past few days as the airline struggled to assign crew to flights according to the new Flight Duty Time Limitations norms, which mandated 48 hours uninterrupted rest a week, only two consecutive night duties and other measures.

Besides Bramhane, the other members of the panel are Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik and Flight Operations Inspector Lokesh Rampal. They have been given a deadline of 15 days to submit their report to "enable necessary regulatory enforcement action and ensure institutional strengthening".

The terms of reference include identifying the underlying causes that to widespread operational disruptions, assessing the adequacy of manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems and implementation preparedness and reviewing the extent of compliance with the revised FDTL provisions, including analysis of gaps admitted by the airline.

The panel will also ascertain accountability and responsibility for planning failures that led to the breakdown of operational stability, review the mitigation measures being undertaken by IndiGo in connection with one-time exemption granted and assess whether the airline is taking adequate steps for restoration of flight operations.

The regulator said all scheduled airlines, including IndiGo, were "repeatedly advised" to undertake comprehensive manpower planning, roster restructuring, and implementation preparedness to ensure seamless transition to the revised fatigue-management framework.

The DGCA order said that it observed the airline's inability to accurately forecast crew availability, conduct timely training, and realign rosters despite advance regulatory intimation "resulted in cascading delays and cancellations" across its network beginning late November 2025.

The airline has acknowledged in a review meeting on Thursday that it has "failed to anticipate" the actual crew requirement under the revised norms and that "significant planning and assessment gaps existed" in implementing Phase-II of FDTL.

"This shortfall directly contributed to large-scale disruptions, with cancellations reaching 170–200 flights daily, severely affecting network integrity and passenger convenience. Where it was noticed in the month of November the flight cancellations of M/s IndiGo were maximum vis a vis other airlines," the DGCA said.