IndiGo Faces Heat: Senior VP to be Fired Over Mass Flight Cancellations and Violations
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In a major development, the central government has ordered IndiGo to sack its senior vice president due to the airline's role in last month's mass flight cancellations, which led to a severe disruption in the country's aviation sector. The move comes after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) conducted an inquiry into the crisis and found that the airline's over-optimization of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, and deficiencies in system software support contributed to the chaos. According to the DGCA's findings, IndiGo was in violation of rules on at least six counts, including non-compliance with duty-hours norms for pilots and staff. The inquiry also noted that the airline's management failed to effectively implement revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) provisions, leading to extended duty hours and minimal recovery times. The DGCA has imposed a Rs. 22.2 crore penalty on the airline and asked it to deposit ₹50 crore as bank guarantees to be refunded once the necessary corrections are made. The aviation regulator has also issued warnings to six senior executives, including the Chief Operating Officer (COO), and has directed IndiGo to take action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry. The crisis resulted in the cancellation 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. The Delhi High Court will hear the matter next on February 25. IndiGo's quarterly profit took a hit of $63 million due to the mass cancellations, according to a report by Reuters.
