The Ministry of Civil Aviation announced on Saturday that airline IndiGo has been fined Rs 22.20 crore by India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), for the widespread flight disruptions that occurred in December 2025.
The regulator claims that between December 3 and 5, IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 flights, leaving over three lakh people stranded at airports throughout the nation.
In addition to causing extensive annoyance, the disruptions seriously questioned the airline’s operational readiness.
A one-time payment of Rs 1.80 crore for repeated violations of Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) is part of the overall penalty.
Furthermore, for persistent non-compliance with the updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) regulations during a 68-day period, the DGCA levied a daily fine of Rs 30 lakh.
As a result, the total penalty increased to Rs 22.20 crore, with an extra charge of Rs 20.40 crore.
IndiGo responded by stating that it is dedicated to fully understanding the directives of the DGCA and would promptly and thoughtfully take the necessary action.
After the disruptions, DGCA established a four-member inquiry group, which concluded that operational over-optimisation, a lack of regulatory readiness, flaws in planning software, and deficiencies in management structure and operational control were the main causes of the crisis.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation ordered the investigation, which was conducted under the direction of the DGCA.
The committee noted that IndiGo’s management did not adequately adopt the updated FDTL standards, detect planning deficiencies, or maintain adequate operational buffers. During the busiest travel time, these malfunctions caused widespread delays and cancellations.
The airline used an aggressive approach to optimise crew and aircraft usage, according to the audit.
This reduced overall operational resilience by leaving little room for recovery during disturbances and hence an over-reliance on deadheading, tail swaps, and longer crew duty hours.
The CEO of IndiGo has also received a warning from the regulator about insufficient oversight and crisis management.
The Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager have received warnings for their failure to evaluate the effects of the updated FDTL standards and the Winter Schedule 2025.
Additionally, the DGCA has ordered that the senior vice president of the Operations Control Centre be stripped of his duties and disqualified from any position of accountability.
