IndiGo Hit with ₹22 Crore Penalty for December Flight Chaos That Stranded Lakhs

India’s aviation watchdog has imposed a record ₹22.20 crore fine on IndiGo after a thorough probe found serious operational lapses behind the massive flight disruptions that paralysed the airline’s network in early December 2025.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) concluded that inadequate planning, over-optimised scheduling, software weaknesses, and poor management oversight triggered the meltdown. Between December 3 and 5, 2025, IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed another 1,852, affecting more than three lakh passengers across the country and marking one of the worst operational crises in the carrier’s history.

A four-member DGCA investigation committee, set up on the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s directions, identified key failures: excessive reliance on practices such as dead-heading, tail swaps, and extended crew duty periods to squeeze maximum utilisation from aircraft and crew, leaving almost no room to absorb shocks from the newly enforced Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules.

The regulator levied ₹1.80 crore in one-time penalties for six separate breaches of Civil Aviation Requirements, including violations of FDTL norms, ineffective operational control, and weak supervision. An additional ₹20.40 crore penalty was slapped for persistent non-compliance with the updated FDTL regulations over 68 days, from December 5, 2025, to February 10, 2026, calculated at ₹30 lakh per day.

In a rare step to enforce individual accountability, the DGCA issued a formal caution to IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer for inadequate crisis management and supervision. The accountable manager (Chief Operating Officer) received a warning for failing to properly assess the combined impact of the 2025 winter schedule and the new FDTL framework. The senior vice president heading the operations control centre was directed to be immediately relieved of operational responsibilities and barred from holding any accountable position in the future. Comparable warnings were issued to the deputy head of flight operations, the assistant vice president for crew resource planning, and the director of flight operations for deficiencies in oversight, staffing, and roster planning.

IndiGo has been instructed to conduct an internal review of personnel accountability and submit a detailed compliance report to the DGCA.

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To ensure long-term corrective action, the airline must furnish a ₹50-crore bank guarantee under the newly introduced IndiGo Systemic Reform Assurance Scheme (ISRAS). The guarantee will be released in stages only after the DGCA confirms verifiable improvements in four critical areas: leadership and governance, workforce and fatigue-risk management, digital infrastructure and operational resilience, and sustained board-level oversight.

In a statement, InterGlobe Aviation Ltd’s board confirmed receipt of the DGCA orders and said the airline would implement corrective steps “thoughtfully and expeditiously.” It emphasised an ongoing internal process review to strengthen resilience, highlighted its 19-year safety track record, and noted that normal operations were quickly restored while affected passengers received refunds, statutory compensation, and a ₹10,000 ‘Gesture of Care’ voucher valid for one year.

The DGCA reiterated that passenger safety, regulatory compliance, crew welfare, and passenger rights remain non-negotiable priorities. Separately, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has launched an internal assessment of the DGCA itself to identify any regulatory gaps.