IndiGo disruptions: DGCA probe panel grills CEO for 2nd day; regulator sacks 4 flight ops inspectors

MUMBAI/NEW DELHI: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers appeared before the DGCA panel probing the operational disruptions for the second straight day on Friday, while the watchdog sacked four flight operations inspectors for alleged lapses in monitoring the airline whose operations are now slowly stabilising.

A day after announcing a compensation of Rs 10,000 in the form of travel vouchers to the affected passengers, IndiGo on Friday said in its current estimation, the outgo in this regard will be more than Rs 500 crore. It was also announced that an external aviation expert will carry out a root cause analysis of the massive flight disruptions.

IndiGo said it will be operating over 2,000 flights on Friday as per its revised "scaled down" schedule.

In the wake of the massive disruptions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has directed the airline to cut its winter schedule flights by 10 per cent.

The regulator's high-level probe panel on Friday grilled Elbers and airline's Chief Operating Officer and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras for many hours.

Sources told PTI that Elbers and Porqueras appeared before the four-member panel separately. Elbers and Porqueras spent around seven and five hours, respectively, before the panel, they added.

While IndiGo continues to be under intense regulatory scanner, including from the fair trade regulator CCI examining whether the airline violated competition norms, DGCA has sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) for alleged lapses in connection with the IndiGo crisis.

"The four FOIs, under various categories, on a contract basis, are hereby relieved from the DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organisation," the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in an order.

FOIs are senior officials within the regulator working as part of its regulatory and safety oversight functions, often deployed to monitor airline operations.

These officials, who come on deputation from various air operators, ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers, and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India.

The specific reasons for sacking them could not be immediately ascertained.

Meanwhile, the board of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, on Friday announced the appointment of an external aviation expert to carry out a root-cause analysis of recent flight disruptions.

Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, a veteran aviation expert, will conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors, the airline said in a statement.

InterGlobe Aviation board has already set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG) in the wake of the significant operational disruptions that started on December 2.

Earlier this week, IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta said the board had decided to involve external technical experts to work with the management and help determine the root causes that led to the disruptions.

The Rahul Bhatia-controlled airline cancelled thousands of flights between December 1 and December 9 on account of lack of proper planning, and crew shortage in implementing the new set of regulations for pilots' duty period and rest, which were put in place from November 1.

In a late evening post on X, IndiGo, on Friday, said it will be providing compensation which, in its current estimation, will be in excess of Rs 500 crore to customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time and/or to customers severely stranded at certain airports.

"We are currently in the process of identifying flights where customers were severely impacted and stranded at the airports (on 3/4/5 December 2025). We will be reaching out to all such customers in January so that compensation can be extended smoothly," IndiGo said in the post on X on Friday.

The Competition Commission of India (CCI) is internally examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms, the senior official told PTI.

According to the official, various aspects, such as the overall dominant position, dominance in particular routes, and whether there is abuse of dominance, will be looked into.

There is no formal complaint against IndiGo so far, and the CCI is examining whether competition rules have been violated suo motu, the official added.