India’s aviation regulator fines IndiGo $2.45 million for poor planning that caused thousands of flight cancellations and delays in December.
NEW DELHI: India’s civil aviation regulator has imposed a $2.45 million fine on IndiGo for poor roster planning that led to large-scale flight cancellations last December.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) levied the penalty for several lapses, including a failure to balance commercial needs with crew members’ ability to work effectively.
The operational meltdown saw over 4,000 mostly domestic flights cancelled or delayed for over a week, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.
Airports across India were thrown into disarray, with the private carrier later admitting to “misjudgement and planning gaps” in adapting to a new pilot rest policy.
The crisis occurred despite IndiGo having two years to prepare for the new rules aimed at enhancing passenger safety.
The regulator also ordered IndiGo to relieve its senior vice president of operations control of his responsibilities.
It issued warnings to senior officials, including CEO Pieter Elbers, for inadequate oversight of flight operations and crisis management.
IndiGo, which commands 60% of India’s domestic market, operates more than 2,000 flights daily.
The crisis was a major challenge for the no-frills airline, which has built its reputation on punctuality.
India is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets. In November 2024, IndiGo carried 500,000 daily passengers for the first time.
There was no immediate response from the airline to the fine.
