Hours after IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras responded to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) announcement, the civil aviation watchdog released a statement detailing the airline’s response.
In a statement, the DGCA confirmed that it had received IndiGo’s response to the mass cancellation notice.
The aviation watchdog also reported that IndiGo said it was “profoundly sorry” for the mass cancellations and deeply regrets the inconvenience and hardship caused to customers.
The DGCA said IndiGo attributed the mass cancellations to the “combined effect of multiple factors” operating in an “unfortunate and unpredictable confluence”.
IndiGo further said it was “not realistically possible to determine the exact cause” of the failure of flight operations, saying the complexity and scale of its network made such an exercise challenging.
While it was difficult to pinpoint a single point of failure, IndiGo told the DGCA that several points of failure were: “minor technical glitches, schedule changes associated with the onset of the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and implementation and operation under the updated crew rostering rules (phase-II flight service time restrictions).
The budget carrier further told the DGCA that the air traffic controller’s manual allows for a 15-day response period for show-cause notices and said it would require more time for a comprehensive “root cause analysis” (RCA). The complete RCA will be shared after completion, the airline added.
Summons to CEO, COO
IndiGo’s reaction to the DGCA comes on a day when reports said the aviation watchdog is likely to summon CEO Elbers and COO Porqueras on Wednesday as part of its ongoing probe into the mass flight cancellations that have left thousands of fliers stranded at Indian airports.
The likely summons to IndiGo’s top brass, according to news agency PTI, will be part of an inquiry by a four-member DGCA panel to determine the reasons for the disruption and fix responsibility for the planning failure.
The panel, set up on December 5, consists of Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Chief Inspector of Flight Operations Kapil Manglik and Inspector of Flight Operations Lokesh Rampal.
What IndiGo said earlier
IndiGo had earlier issued a public apology to the flyers as thousands of people across the country were left stranded by flight disruptions starting Tuesday.
In an internal memo, CEO Elbers also told employees that the airline had failed to deliver on its promise to provide its customers with a hassle-free flight.
Although the airline admitted that flight disruptions would continue for some time, it assured the DGCA and customers that operations would be fully normalized by February 10, 2026.
In the meantime, he made sure to work to restore 100% operational integrity.
The airline said it is also processing refunds for flights canceled between December 3 and December 15.
