₹3 lakh a day for 68 days: IndiGo fined ₹22.2 crore by DGCA for mass flight cancellations, disruptions

Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a fine of ₹22.2 crore on IndiGo airline for massive disruptions in December, the regulator said in a statement on Saturday.

The aviation watchdog imposed a fine of ₹3 lakh per day for 68 days – from 05 December 2025 to 10 February 2026 – along with an additional one-time systemic penalty of ₹1.80 crore, taking the total fine imposed on the domestic carrier to ₹22.2 crore.

The penalties are one of the biggest imposed by the watchdog so far on any airline for flight disruptions, while other regulatory actions are also unprecedented, as per news wire reports.

Indigo witnessed cancellation of 2,507 flights and 1,852 delays during the massive disruptions in December last year.

IndiGo flight chaos

What began as a single day of cancellations and delays in flights by IndiGo – soon spiraled into a full-blown crisis. With passengers reporting delays from December 2025, disruption in services continued for at least 10 days – with a total of 2,507 flights axed and 1852 flights delayed.

As the chaos unfolded, social media was flooded with images and videos of stranded passengers scrambling for their luggage, with checked-in bags left scattered across airport floors.

News of the crisis also reached the Parliament with Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari raising the issue in the Upper House, attributing it to a "monopoly" in the aviation sector.

Following the large-scale disruptions, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had set up a four-member committee headed by Joint Director General Sanjay K Brahmane to carry out a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to such disruptions.

The panel submitted its report to the DGCA on December 27, 2025.

IndiGo's statement

IndiGo's board said that the company is committed to taking full cognisance of the orders and will take the necessary and appropriate measures in a thoughtful and timely manner.

“We would like to take this opportunity to inform all of our stakeholders, particularly our valued customers, that the Board and the Management of IndiGo are committed to taking full cognizance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, take appropriate measures,” Chairman and Members of the Board of Directors of InterGlobe Aviation Limited said in a message, reported the news agency ANI.

CEO cautioned, ₹50 Cr bank guarantee – What DGCA said

– Besides imposing the ₹22.2 crore fine, the DGCA also directed IndiGo to furnish ₹50-crore bank guarantee to ensure long-term systemic correction, as per its statement released on Saturday, 17 January.

– It said, the accountable manager (COO) has been issued a warning for failure to assess the impact of Winter schedule 2025 and the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders– which led to massive disruptions. IndiGo Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras is the Accountable Manager at the airline.

– The aviation watchdog also cautioned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers for inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management.

– DGCA has also directed the domestic carrier to temporarily remove its Senior Vice-President in charge of the Operations Control Centre from handling day-to-day operational duties, and not to assign any accountable position, for failure in what the aviation watchdog described as “systemic planning and timely implementation of revised FDTL provisions.”

– Warnings have also been issued to Deputy Head-Flight Operations, AVP-Crew Resource Planning, and Director-Flight Operations over lapses in operations, supervision, manpower planning and roster management, said DGCA.