DGCA Panel Submits Report To Govt On IndiGo Operational Meltdown

A four-member panel of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has submitted its report to the Civil Aviation Ministry on IndiGo's operational meltdown earlier this month, sources said on Friday.

The report has been confidentially filed, with details yet to emerge at the time of publishing this article.

The committee, headed by DGCA Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, was tasked to assess the circumstances that led to the massive disruption in IndiGo's operations in the first week of December.

The panel was formed on Dec. 5, and was initially granted a 15-day period to submit its report. However, the deadline was later extended till Dec. 26.

The near-breakdown in IndiGo's operations, triggered by the airline's inability to adapt to the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms, led to the cancellation of over 5,000 flights within a span of seven days.

At the centre of the crisis were regulations requiring pilots and cabin crew to get more rest, including 48-hour weekly breaks instead of 36 hours earlier, and stricter limits on night landings.

The DCGA subsequently granted a one-time exemption on specific requirements of new FDTL rules for IndiGo till Feb. 10, 2026, in order to allow the airline to stabilise its operations.

IndiGo, which restored its operations to normal levels by Dec. 15, said on Wednesday that the airline was prepared to handle the boom in air travel during the winter holiday season—typically stretching from Dec. 25 to Jan. 1.

The airline noted that it has been operating 2,100- 2,200 flights daily while carrying over one million customers every three days. IndiGo further said that it has restored to and fro flights all 138 operational destinations across its network, while maintaining the standards of on-time performance.