Parliament Question: IndiGo flight disruptions

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION RAJYA SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 165 TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 2nd February 2026 INDIGO FLIGHT DISRUPTIONS 165. SHRI MEDA RAGHUNADHA REDDY Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION be pleased to state:- (a) whether the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has completed its inquiry into the large-scale flight disruptions faced by IndiGo; (b) whether any directions or corrective measures have been issued to airlines to ensure strict compliance with safety norms, crew duty and rest regulations; (c) if so, the details thereof; (d) actions taken to ensure passenger refunds and compensation; and (e) steps adopted to strengthen air traffic resilience during peak periods? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol) (a) : Yes. (b) to (c) Due to large-scale delays and cancellations by M/s IndiGo between 3rd and 5th December 2025, DGCA has taken the following actions: (i) Issued cautions and warnings to senior management for deficiencies in oversight, planning, and implementation of revised FDTL norm, directed removal of the concerned SVP from operational responsibilities and sought a compliance report. (ii) Imposed a one-time financial penalty of 22.20 crore for non-compliance with directions under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937. (iii) Directed IndiGo to furnish a bank guarantee of 50 crore in favour of DGCA to ensure compliance and long-term corrective measures.. IndiGo has formally assured DGCA that it will have sufficient pilots and crew to meet operational requirements without exemptions after February 10, 2026. It expects to maintain operational stability and avoid further cancellations once temporary relaxations expire. (d) : DGCA has directed the airline to ensure that refunds and compensation is paid strictly in accordance with the provisions of Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), Section 3, Series M, Part IV, issued by the DGCA. Further, DGCA have been constantly engaging with Indigo, Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and the Ministry of Tourism (MoT), under whose oversight theOTAs function, to facilitate the timely disbursement of refunds and compensation amounts to the affected passengers. (e) : To meet the requirements arising out of the growth in air traffic and passenger demand and to strengthen air traffic resilience during peak periods, development of new airports and expansion, modification and upgradation of existing airport infrastructure are undertaken from time to time. These include construction of new terminals, expansion and modernization of existing terminals, strengthening and expansion of runways and aprons, addition of passenger facilities, and augmentation of Air Navigation Services (ANS) infrastructure such as control towers and technical blocks. Such development works are undertaken by the concerned airport operators/developers, including the Airports Authority of India (AAI), subject to factors such as land availability, techno-economic feasibility, availability of financial resources, and requisite clearances from the competent regulatory authorities. ******