DGCA Gives IndiGo CEO 24 Hrs To Explain Flight Fiasco, Show Cause Reads 'You Have Failed In Your Duty'
The notice mentions the primary cause of flight disruptions as the non-provisioning of adequate arrangements to cater to the revised requirements.
Published : December 7, 2025 at 7:28 AM IST
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday issued show cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras seeking explanations within 24 hours on the massive flight disruptions that have left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.
For the last six days, IndiGo, which has a market share of over 60 percent in the Indian aviation segment, has witnessed significant operational disruptions with hundreds of flight cancellations and delays, causing hardships to thousands of passengers.
In the notices sent to Elbers and Porqueras, the regulator said the large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management. Porqueras is the Accountable Manager and Chief Operating Officer at IndiGo.
"... as the CEO, you are responsible for ensuring effective management of the airline but you have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers," DGCA said in the notice sent to Elbers.
DGCA has issued a showcause notice to the IndiGo CEO, giving him 24 hours to respond.
— ETV Bharat (@ETVBharatEng) December 7, 2025
The notice cites, "large-scale operational failures indicating significant lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management..."#IndigoDelay #Indigoairlines pic.twitter.com/cu6FBoWSJC
It asked Elbers and Porqueras to reply within 24 hours. The notices mentioned that the primary cause of the flight disruptions is the non-provisioning of adequate arrangements to cater to the revised requirements for smooth implementation of the approved FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) scheme for the airline.
On Saturday, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, along with senior civil aviation ministry officials, held a "serious meeting" with Elbers to review the situation and address the issues.
The meeting, held in the national capital on Saturday, was attended by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, and DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, among others. At the meeting, the IndiGo CEO was also asked to ensure that the airline complies with the new FDTL within a given timeframe.
On Friday, DGCA had set up a four-member inquiry panel to ascertain the reasons for the situation and recommend mitigation measures against the backdrop of a large number of flights being cancelled and delayed at various airports, causing hardships to thousands of passengers.
The committee comprises Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane and Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal at the DGCA.
The committee will submit its findings and recommendations to the DGCA within 15 days to enable necessary regulatory enforcement action and ensure institutional strengthening, the order said.
Government sources said on Saturday that authorities will take appropriate action in the matter of IndiGo flight disruptions, depending on the inquiry committee's findings.
Meanwhile, the flight disruptions continued on Sunday as well, with IndiGo cancelling more than 220 flights at Delhi and Mumbai airports. After cancelling approximately 1,600 of its 2,300 daily flights on Friday, the airline saw a reduction in disruptions on Saturday, with cancellations falling to around 800.
"The main objective (of operating just 700 flights on Friday) was to reboot the network, systems, and rosters so that we could start afresh today (Saturday) with higher number of flights, improved stability, and there are some early signs of improvement," IndiGo had said in a statement. The airline said it operated 1,500 flights on Saturday.
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