The Centre informed the Delhi High Court that stringent steps have been taken against IndiGo following alleged regulatory violations by the airline. Appearing before the court, the Centre said it had ordered the dismissal of IndiGo’s vice president. It added that a monetary penalty exceeding Rs 20 crore has also been imposed on the carrier.
The Centre further told the court that a bank guarantee worth Rs 50 crore has been secured from IndiGo as part of the enforcement measures to ensure compliance with aviation safety and operational norms.
The Centre also said that senior airline executives- including the chief operating officer (COO), deputy head of flight operations and a resource analyst- have been warned of strict action if the situation continues or similar violations recur.
The High Court has listed the matter for further hearing on February 25.
IndiGo Assures No Cancellations After February 10
This comes as IndiGo told the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) this week that it does not plan to cancel any flights after February 10. This is the date from which the airline is required to implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. The airline said it now has the required number of pilots to operate under the new norms.
The DGCA had deferred the implementation of the FDTL rules for IndiGo on December 6 last year after widespread flight disruptions left passengers stranded at airports across the country. The disruptions were attributed to an acute shortage of pilots. IndiGo was given time until February 10 to restore operational normalcy.
DGCA officials held a meeting with the IndiGo management, during which the airline said that it had an “adequate" number of pilots to meet operational requirements under the revised FDTL rules, which mandate additional rest time for pilots.
According to the airline, it would need 2,280 captains by February 10 and currently has 2,400, while the requirement for first officers stands at 2,050 against an available strength of 2,240.
“During the meeting with the DGCA on Monday, IndiGo assured operational stability and no flight cancellations after February 10, 2026, based on the current approved network," the regulator said in a statement.
The DGCA has imposed a total fine of Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo following large-scale delays and cancellations in early December last year. Between December 3 and December 5, the airline cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 others, causing inconvenience to over three lakh passengers stranded at airports across the country.
