Delhi, 11 December (H.S.):

IndiGo’s flight delays and cancellations entered the ninth consecutive day on Thursday, continuing to cause major inconvenience to passengers and triggering widespread chaos at key airports across the country. With disruptions escalating, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has deployed a dedicated Oversight Team at the airline’s corporate office in Gurugram.

According to the DGCA order issued on 10 December, the move was prompted “in view of passenger inconvenience caused due to large-scale disruptions in the operations of IndiGo Airlines at various airports across the country.” The order coincided with nearly 220 flight cancellations at major airports including Delhi and Mumbai on Wednesday.

The oversight team — comprising two government officers and two senior captains — will monitor IndiGo’s daily cancellation figures, refund processing, on-time performance and other operational parameters from the airline’s Gurugram headquarters at Emaar Capital Tower 2.

The regulator has also summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who is scheduled to appear before the DGCA on 11 December. The airline has been asked to provide a detailed operational status report by 3:00 PM, along with data explaining the causes of the latest disruptions.

The developments come after IndiGo submitted a revised flight schedule on 10 December, following the government’s decision to cut the carrier’s winter schedule by 10 per cent.

IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta released a video message on X on Wednesday, stating that the airline’s board will examine all aspects of the ongoing disruptions. Apologising to passengers, he said external technical experts would be engaged to help determine the root causes.

Mehta attributed the disruptions to a “combination of internal and unanticipated external events,” including minor technical glitches, winter schedule changes, adverse weather, heightened airport congestion and updated crew rostering rules.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar