DGCA forms 8-member team to monitor IndiGo amid flight disruptions
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New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday constituted an eight-member special team to closely monitor IndiGo’s operations as the airline grapples with sustained disruptions across its network.
According to reports, two officials from the team will be stationed at IndiGo’s corporate headquarters to oversee daily processes and identify gaps affecting flight operations.
The regulator’s intervention follows a growing crisis that has led to thousands of cancellations and delays, severely congesting major airports nationwide and leaving passengers in long queues.
Amid the ongoing disruptions, the Ministry of Civil Aviation initiated a round-the-clock evaluation of airport operations. Senior officials were dispatched to key airports to ensure that passengers impacted by delays and cancellations receive timely assistance.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said on X that the Ministry and DGCA have been “constantly monitoring the situation across all airports in real-time since December 3,” when irregularities in IndiGo’s operations began affecting schedules nationwide. He described the disruptions as “extraordinary circumstances” requiring immediate action at the highest levels of the aviation establishment.
A high-level review meeting was attended by all senior Ministry and DGCA officials to evaluate airport operations, airline responsiveness, and the quality of services provided to stranded passengers.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers stated on Tuesday that the airline’s operations have stabilised after days of severe flight disruptions caused by a pilot shortage under new flight duty limitation regulations. In a statement on X, he said, “IndiGo is back on its feet,” with restoration activities being carried out on a “war footing.”
Elbers confirmed that IndiGo has restored its network of 138 destinations, now operating more than 1,800 flights daily, and that operations are fully stabilised as of December 9. He also noted that the airline has begun an internal review to determine the causes of the disruption and improve resource planning and processes.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered IndiGo to reduce its flight operations by 10 per cent following the massive cancellations caused by the pilot shortage, after the DGCA earlier directed a 5 per cent cut under the new regulations.
With IANS inputs