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IndiGo told to dismiss senior VP over cancellation mess, violations: Govt to Delhi HC
This comes on a day when IndiGo reported a 75% drop in quarterly profit on Thursday after taking a $63 million hit due to mass cancellations in December.
The central government on Thursday informed the Delhi high court that it has asked IndiGo to dismiss its senior vice president over last month's cancellation chaos.
This comes on a day when IndiGo reported a 75% drop in quarterly profit on Thursday after taking a $63 million hit due to mass cancellations in December that led to one of the country's worst aviation crises, Reuters reported.
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) told the Delhi high court that following the inquiry by its four-member committee, it determined that the crisis was caused by “over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, along with deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure, " and it had imposed a Rs. 22.2 crore penalty on the airline.
The DGCA counsel further added that it had issued warnings to six senior executives, including the Chief Operating Officer (COO), Isidre Porqueras Orea, along with the deputy head of flight operations and a resource analyst, and had also ordered the senior vice president to be dismissed from service.
He further said that the aviation regulator had also asked the airline to deposit ₹50 crore as bank guarantees, to be refunded as and when the airline carried out the necessary corrections in its operations.
The submission was made in a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the mass cancellation of flights, compensation and ground support for stranded passengers.
The court will hear the matter next on February 25.
The DGCA inquiry findings
The DGCA inquiry found IndiGo in violation of rules on at least six counts, as well as continued non-compliance with duty-hours norms for pilots and staff.
The aviation regulator had formed a four-member committee to probe the events and circumstances of the chaos at the direction of the civil aviation ministry.
The DGCA noted that there were cancellations of 2,507 flights and delays in 1,852 between December 3 and 5, 2025, “causing inconvenience to over three lakh passengers stranded at various airports”.
A note by the DGCA on Saturday listed key findings of the inquiry committee. The primary causes of the disruption were over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, and deficiencies in system software support, it said. The probe also found shortcomings in the management structure and operational control.
The committee observed that the airline’s management failed to effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) provisions.
The inquiry also noted an “overriding focus” on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft, and network resources, which “significantly reduced roster buffer margins”.
It noted that there were extended duty hours and minimal recovery times.
These findings were sent to the ministry, and the DGCA has taken action against several stakeholders, including issuing a“caution to the CEO” and warnings to the COO and other officials.
There is also a “warning to the Senior Vice President” with directions to relieve him of current operational responsibilities and “not to assign any accountable position, for failure in systemic planning and timely implementation of revised FDTL provisions”. The DGCA informed the Delhi high court of the same on Thursday.
“IndiGo has been directed to take appropriate action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry and submit a compliance report to DGCA,” the note added.
