DGCA summons IndiGo CEO, posts oversight team at HQs

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers to appear before it at 3 pm on Thursday. The development comes a day after Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had met Elbers over the ongoing flight cancellation fiasco.

Despite the CEO claiming that the operations were back on track, the airlines on Wednesday cancelled nearly 220 flights at three major airports.

The regulator has also set up an eight-member oversight team. Of them, two members will be deployed at the airline’s corporate office on a daily basis. They have been mandated to look at the airline’s total fleet, average stage length (distance that an aircraft travels in one leg), total number of pilots, network details, and crew utilisation and training, among others.

The DGCA has directed Elbers to present comprehensive data and updates relating to the recent operational disruptions. The CEO must provide detailed information across key operational areas, it said.

The DGCA has sought multiple updates, including the status of flight restoration, recruitment plans, progress in the refunds process and baggage return, effective information dissemination, re-accommodation of affected passengers and priority handling for vulnerable travellers such as the elderly, medical passengers and unaccompanied minors. It has also asked for details of the monitoring mechanism being used to ensure timely completion of the restoration effort.

The regulator has asked for IndiGo’s pilot and crew recruitment plan, including current strength, the recruitment and training pipeline for the coming months and measures taken to prevent roster shortages and issues arising from flight duty time limitations (FDTL). The DGCA has further sought details on baggage return, covering delayed or misrouted baggage, tracing and return procedures, average timelines and compensation offered as per regulations.

It also wants updates on rerouting policies after cancellations, including the process for placing passengers on alternative flights, data on rerouting within IndiGo’s own network and on other airlines, and compliance with DGCA requirements that rerouting be provided at no additional cost.

The regulator has additionally asked for the number of cancelled flights and refunds processed, refund timelines for direct and OTA bookings and adherence to Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) provisions.

The DGCA has separately issued a formal inspection order for immediate on-site assessments at several major airports. Officials have been instructed to visit their assigned airports within two to three days and submit reports to headquarters within 24 hours. They have been told to examine safety and operational readiness, congestion in terminal areas, queue management, staffing adequacy, functioning of 24x7 help desks, communication of delays and cancellations, and availability of basic amenities such as drinking water.