DGCA cracks the whip: Four flight op inspectors sacked over IndiGo crisis

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sacked four flight operations inspectors (FOIs) responsible for keeping oversight of IndiGo’s operations that triggered cancellations of flights across airports.

 

FOIs are airline pilots who come to the DGCA on deputation for oversight duties but legally remain on the rolls of their parent carrier. Once their deputation ends or the airline seeks their return, the DGCA sends them back.

 

Meanwhile, in a post on X on Friday, the airline said it estimates that the compensation to customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time and/or to those severely stranded at certain airports would be in excess of ₹500 crore. In an order dated December 11, the regulator said that FOIs -- Rishi Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, and Priyam Kaushik -- are “hereby relieved” from the DGCA with immediate effect to rejoin their respective parent organisations (airlines).

 

IndiGo cancelled over 4,200 flights between December 1 and 9. The crisis was triggered by the airline’s inability to manage its pilot duty roster after the DGCA fully implemented new, stricter rest and duty regulations last month, which increased weekly rest requirements and reduced the hours pilots can fly at night.

 

Meanwhile, IndiGo on Friday announced that its board has approved the appointment of aviation veteran John Illson, who heads Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, to conduct an independent expert review of the recent operational disruption.

 

The decision follows the recommendation of the Crisis Management Group (CMG) constituted by the IndiGo board, the airline said. “The objective is to conduct an independent root-cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, besides identifying opportunities for improvement," it said.

 

“As part of its assessment, the CMG advised commissioning an independent expert review in the matter. The review will begin at the earliest, and the independent expert will submit a comprehensive report to the board upon completion,” the airline added.

 

Illson has more than four decades of experience, including over 18,000 hours as a commercial airline pilot on Airbus and Boeing aircraft. After his flying career, he held senior roles at major international bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization, the International Air Transport Association and the Federal Aviation Administration, working extensively on safety standards and regulatory frameworks.

 

The announcement comes on the day IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer, Isidre Porqueras, were grilled before a four-member panel, set up by the DGCA with a mandate to identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier.

 

In its post on X, IndiGo said it was prioritising refunds through December for all affected customers and with urgency.

 

The airline stated that its staff would in January reach out to customers who were severely impacted and stranded at the airports on December 3,4 and 5. “This is to ensure compensation can be extended and completed smoothly,” it said, adding that the team was focused to make this process as transparent, easy, and hassle-free as possible.

 

Earlier in the day, the airline had said it was “demonstrating continuous operational normalisation and stability” and was expected to operate over 2,050 flights on Friday under its revised, scaled-down schedule. On Thursday, IndiGo operated more than 1,950 flights, with only four cancellations — all due to weather — and said that affected passengers had been informed in advance.

 

“We have informed all our airport partners (operators) to publish the new flight schedules of the adjusted network on terminal screens to avoid any confusion,” it added.

 

Before the crisis, the airline operated around 2,300 flights per day — about 2,000 domestic and 300 international.

 

On December 9, the DGCA asked IndiGo to cut 10 per cent of its domestic flights for the entire winter season to help stabilise operations. These cancellations have been applied to high-frequency domestic routes, and not to the roughly 600 routes where IndiGo is the sole operator. 

Root-cause analysis 

• IndiGo appoints aviation veteran John Illson to conduct independent root-cause analysis of the operational disruption
• Decision follows recommendation of the crisis management group formed by the IndiGo board
• Airline operated over 2,050 flights on Friday, under its revised scaled-down schedule