Parliament Question: Failure of DGCA to prevent operational disruptions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 1785 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 9th March 2026 FAILURE OF DGCA TO PREVENT OPERATIONAL DISRUPTIONS 1785. DR. ASHOK KUMAR MITTAL Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) the reasons for the failure of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to anticipate and prevent the recent widespread operational disruptions; (b) whether Government has decided against capping airfares during the crisis despite evidence of predatory pricing and if so, the rationale for prioritizing market deregulation over consumer protection; (c) whether the implementation of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) has been deferred or diluted to accommodate the commercial interests of airlines at the cost of pilot safety; and (d) the specific timeline for enforcing the new FDTL regime without further concessions to airline operators, if not, the reasons therefor? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a): IndiGo airlines experienced significant operational disruptions in early December, 2025, resulting in widespread flight delays and cancellations. The primary causes for disruption were over-optimization of operations, insufficient operational buffers, inadequate regulatory preparedness along with deficiencies in system software support and shortcomings in management structure and operational control on the part of M/s Indigo. (b): Government took a note of increased airfare in early December, 2025 due to massive flight disruptions and capped maximum airfare to be charged stage length wise by scheduled domestic carriers in order to protect passenger interest. (c) & (d): The implementation of FDTL have been completed. Few limited variations were granted subject to review after a period of six months from the date of implementation. These temporary operational exemptions were permitted strictly in public interest, under enhanced regulatory oversight, and without compromising flight safety or pilot welfare.******