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Indigo CEO Has to Reply Today Until 6 PM

Chandigarh: Flight disruptions at IndiGo continued for the seventh consecutive day, with the crisis-hit airline cancelling 127 flights at Bengaluru Airport on Monday, including 65 arrivals and 62 departures, according to a senior airport source.

The cancellations come even as the airline faces intensifying scrutiny from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). In an order issued late Sunday, the regulator extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras to respond to show-cause notices until 6 pm Monday.

DGCA Flags “Significant Lapses”

The DGCA had issued notices to both executives on Saturday, calling the large-scale operational collapse a reflection of “serious lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management.” The regulator demanded explanations within 24 hours, citing severe nationwide disruption since December 2.

IndiGo, which operates over 2,200 daily flights, has been cancelling hundreds of services every day, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded across Indian airports. The airline has attributed the crisis primarily to the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which tightened pilot rest norms and restricted night operations.

Crisis Peaks at 1,600 Cancellations in a Single Day

Despite soaring cancellations, IndiGo remained silent for three days before CEO Pieter Elbers issued an apology on Friday, coinciding with the airline cancelling 1,600 flights in one day — the highest-ever single-day cancellations in Indian aviation history.
Elbers acknowledged widespread disruptions but did not reveal the staggering scale of that day’s cancellations.

The new DGCA-mandated FDTL rules — implemented in two phases on July 1 and November 1 — require:

• 48 hours of weekly rest (up from 36 hours),

• Extended night duty window,

• Limit of two night landings per week (down from six).

Airlines, including IndiGo and Air India, had opposed the norms, arguing they would need significantly more pilots to comply. After delays and legal challenges, the DGCA enforced the rules in a phased manner, in accordance with the Delhi High Court’s directives.

IndiGo has since secured temporary relaxations in Phase-II requirements until February 10, but disruptions continue as crew shortages and rostering backlogs persist. As operations remain strained, the government is monitoring the situation closely amid mounting passenger complaints and pressure on the airline to restore normalcy.