As the probe into IndiGo’s mass flight cancellation continues, a panel appointed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to look into the disruption is likely to summon the airline’s CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidro Porqueras.
According to a PTI report citing a source, Elbers and Porqueras are to be summoned on Wednesday by a four-member panel comprising joint director general Sanjay Brahamane, deputy director general Amit Gupta, senior inspector flight operations Kapil Manglik and inspector flight operations Lokesh Rampal.
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Tasked with identifying the root cause of the pan-India disruptions that have left thousands of passengers stranded, the panel’s mandate includes an assessment of IndiGo’s workforce planning, service scheduling systems and the airline’s willingness to implement the latest norms on pilot working hours and rest periods.
PTI further reported that the panel, which was constituted from the DGCA on December 5, will review IndiGo’s level of compliance with the latest Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, including an analysis of the loopholes admitted by the budget carrier in an attempt to ascertain responsibility for the failure that led to the nationwide disruption of flight services.
The panel was directed by the DGCA to submit its report within 15 days.
Read also | Is the worst behind us? IndiGo claims on-time performance is better at 91%
FDTL standards
The latest FDTL norms, which among other things require extended weekly rest periods for pilots and restrictions on night services, came into force on November 1 this year for all domestic airlines, despite opposition from Tata-owned IndiGo and Air India.
Despite opposition from some transporters, the DGCA implemented the norms in a phased manner this year following a directive from the Delhi High Court. The norms were originally due to be introduced by March 2024, but airlines, including IndiGo, have been pushing for a phased implementation with additional crew requirements.
Show IndiGo alert
Apart from summoning CEO Elbers and COO Porqueras, the aviation watchdog DGCA has already issued a notice to IndiGo regarding the ongoing outages.
On Sunday, the DGCA gave IndiGo a one-time 24-hour deadline to respond to the show-cause notice, with the deadline ending at 6 pm on Monday, December 8.
Airline sources told PTI on Monday that both CEO Elbers and COO Porqueras had sent their replies to the DGCA within the extended deadline.
Read also | IndiGo cancellation leaves Smart India Hackathon 2025 participants in tears
What is the status of IndiGo flights now?
IndiGo said services will return to normal by February 10, 2026.
On Monday, December 8, the airline said it was working to restore 100% operational integrity, a day after announcing that flights to 137 of 138 destinations had resumed.
IndiGo on Monday said refunds for flights canceled between December 3 and 15 are already being processed.
“In the event that your plans have changed due to the disruption, we are also offering a full waiver of change and cancellation requests for all bookings valid for travel through December 15, 2025. You can do so at and follow the simple steps. Refunds will be credited to the original payment method and may appear as one or two transactions,” the airline said.
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