IndiGo crisis: DGCA sacks 4 flight inspectors; CEO Pieter Elbers summoned again
&imwidth=600&imheight=450&format=webp&quality=medium "IndiGo crisis: DGCA sacks 4 flight inspectors; CEO Pieter Elbers summoned again")
An IndiGo Airlines aircraft prepares to take off at Kempegowda International Airport on a hazy day in Bengaluru on December 9, 2025. Photograph: (AFP)
This comes days after the nationwide flight disruption of IndiGo flights that led to over 1,600 cancellations in a single day last week.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday (Dec 12) sacked four flight operations inspectors (FOIs) amid an investigation into massive flight cancellations by IndiGo airline, which left thousands of passengers stranded at airports. The officials relieved from duty were responsible for operational oversight on the airline. Meanwhile, the aviation watchdog has summoned CEO Pieter Elbers again on Friday afternoon. This comes days after the nationwide flight disruption of IndiGo flights that led to over 5,000 cancellations in recent days.
In the notice, DGCA states, “Consequent upon approval of the Competent Authority, the following FOls under various categories, on contract basis, in DGCA are hereby relieved from DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organizations.”
According to the DGCA order, the officials relieved include Rish Raj Chatterjee, consultant (deputy chief FOI); Seema Jhamnani, senior FOI; Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, consultant (FOI); and Priyam Kaushik, consultant FOI.
DGCA oversight team stationed in Gurugram office
As the airlines work to restore flight operations, more than 50 flights were cancelled on Friday. A day earlier, over 200 flights were disrupted across India.
Earlier, DGCA announced stationing a dedicated Oversight Team at the airline’s corporate office in Gurugram to monitor operations. In an internal order issued on Thursday (Dec 12), the aviation regulator said that the move was taken “in view of passenger inconvenience caused due to large-scale disruptions in the operations of IndiGo Airlines at various airports across the country.”
IndiGo announces Rs 10,000 vouchers to affected passengers
Meanwhile, IndiGo has announced that it will offer travel vouchers worth Rs 10,000 to each passenger whose flights were cancelled or delayed for long during December 3-5. The compensation would be in addition to the amount that needs to be provided to passengers for flight cancellations under DGCA norms. The travel voucher can be used for any future IndiGo journey and will be valid for 12 months, the airline said on Thursday.
