IndiGo Chaos: DGCA Forms Four-Member Panel To Review Flight Disruptions

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a four-member committee to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances leading to operational disruptions of IndiGo, as per their order on Friday.

In the order, the aviation watchdog said that it issued repeated directions and advance instructions from time to time to Indigo for having timely preparation to implement the provisions of the new FDTL norms.

Despite this, it observed IndiGo's inability to accurately forecast crew availability, conduct timely training and realign rosters starting late November 2025.

This ultimately led to cascading delays and cancellations across its network, according to DGCA.

Further, the order underscored that in a review meeting, IndiGo acknowledged that it has failed to anticipate the actual crew requirement under the revised FDTL norms. The airline had accepted that significant planning and assessment gaps existed in implementing the Phase-II norms.

"This prima facie indicates deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning," the order stated, calling for an independent examination.

The examination will be conducted by four-members of the DGCA including —

1. Sanjay K. Bramhane, Joint Director General

2. Amit Gupta, Deputy Director General

3. Capt. Kapil Manglik, Senior Flight Operations Inspector

4. Capt. Lokesh Rampal, Flight Operations Inspector

The Committee will submit a report in the next 15 days and identify the underlying causes of widespread operational disruptions. It will assess metrics such as the adequacy of manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, implementation and preparedness in the context of new FDTL norms.

In addition to this, the committee will also review the extent of compliance with the revised FDTL norms and ascertain the accountability and responsibility for planning failures that led to the breakdown of operational stability.

Lastly, it will also review the mitigation measures being undertaken by IndiGo.

IndiGo felt the most severe impact of the flight disruptions on Friday with well over a thousand flights cancelled, CEO Pieter Elbers said in his apology video.