An IndiGo flight prepares to take off from Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru, Thursday, Dec. 11, 2025. Photo: PTI
DGCA sacks four inspectors over IndiGo flight chaos
The officials were responsible for monitoring IndiGo's compliance with new pilot rest rules; IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers will appear before DGCA today
In a major development in the IndiGo flight disruption crisis, civil aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday (December 12), sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors, according to sources. These inspectors were responsible for overseeing the readiness of IndiGo with the new pilot rest rules.
Flight Operations Inspectors are responsible for overseeing airline safety, pilot training and operational compliance. The DGCA hires active pilots on contract for five years during which they act as auditors and are barred from operating any aircrafts. Their job is to conduct periodic inspections to ensure that the airlines are following all regulations.
This move comes even as DGCA faces a lot of flak for the chaos that ensued after IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights due to pilot shortages.
Also read: Why IndiGo is just the tip of India’s monopoly iceberg | Talking Sense With Srini
The DGCA is being questioned over what it did to assess IndiGo pilot requirement before allowing the airline 10 per cent more flights in the winter schedule, and, what it did to monitor the airline's preparedness to comply with its new pilot and rest norms.
IndiGo CEO summoned
Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has been summoned before an inquiry panel on the same day the airline announced compensation of ₹10,000 in travel vouchers for affected passengers. He is also scheduled to appear before the DGCA today.
In the midst of these developments, IndiGo stated that it expects to operate 1,950 flights carrying nearly 3 lakh passengers, even as airports continued to report cancellations.
Pilot recruitment
The civil aviation ministry has directed the airline, which typically operates about 2,300 flights, to cut its winter schedule by 10 per cent following widespread disruptions and cancellations earlier this month.
The aviation regulator has directed IndiGo to accelerate pilot recruitment, prompting the airline to launch an aggressive hiring drive to induct nearly 900 pilots over the next year. The initiative is aimed at stabilising operations following recent disruptions tied to stricter Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, which must be fully enforced by February 2026.
Also read: Indigo flight chaos: Is DGCA working efficiently? | Capital Beat
To meet this deadline, IndiGo is fast-tracking Foreign Aircrew Temporary Authorisation (FATA) approvals and expediting the onboarding of both captains and first officers to restore normalcy across its network.
Moreover, two officers will be stationed each day at IndiGo’s Gurugram corporate office to review fleet deployment, crew utilisation, pilots under training, network planning, unplanned leave, affected sectors and availability of standby crew in both cockpit and cabin.
Oversight team
Along with the sackings, the Civil Aviation Ministry has set up an eight-member oversight team to monitor airports and airline functioning across the country.
The team, drawn entirely from the DGCA’s administration wing, will keep daily watch on operational performance and passenger welfare.