DGCA Sacks Four Inspectors as IndiGo Flight Cancellations Surge
DGCA Sacks Four Inspectors as IndiGo Flight Cancellations Surge
DGCA sacks four Flight Operations Inspectors amid IndiGo disruptions, with Bengaluru and Delhi cancellations mounting as regulators tighten oversight.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has terminated four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) after IndiGo's operating chaos triggered thousands of cancellations and left travelers stranded nationwide. The inspectors—Rish Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, and Priyam Kaushik—were senior officials responsible for regulatory oversight, inspections, and safety audits.
In Bengaluru, IndiGo canceled 54 flights on Friday alone, including 31 arrivals and 23 departures, as the disruption rippled across the network. The carrier had already grounded more than 200 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru a day earlier, compounding travel woes for passengers.
To restore order, DGCA officials were deployed to IndiGo's Gurugram headquarters to monitor refunds, operations, and other critical processes. Meanwhile, IndiGo's CEO Pieter Elbers is due to appear before the regulator again as the probe continues and regulators expand oversight of the airline.
Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu framed the crisis as a roster-management failure on IndiGo's part, underscoring political scrutiny of airline practices as the industry seeks stable schedules and timely refunds.
The moves signal a broader push toward accountability in Indian air travel as regulators and the airline work to resolve refunds and restore passenger confidence while avoiding recurrence of such disruptions.
Cover image source: 'Should we run IndiGo's operations?': Aviation Minister rejects blame on DGCA 🔗
