The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture related to the ministry, chaired by Sanjay K. Jha, has convened a meeting to review the impact of revised rest and duty norms for pilots, which have triggered widespread flight cancellations due to gaps in adequate crew planning. | Photo credit: Reuters
Pilots’ bodies have alleged deep-rooted corruption in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation before a parliamentary panel convened to discuss the operational meltdown at IndiGo since early December, which has led to the cancellation of more than 5,000 flights affecting at least 12.5 million passengers.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture related to the ministry, chaired by Sanjay K. Jha, has convened a meeting to review the impact of revised rest and duty norms for pilots, which have triggered widespread flight cancellations due to gaps in adequate crew planning.
Officials from the Department of Civil Aviation, DGCA, senior executives of IndiGo, including its Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras, and Senior Vice President (Flight Operations), Ashim Mitra, and various pilot associations such as Airline Pilots Association of India (ALPA-I), Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) were present. The meeting lasted almost three hours.
Proof is sought
During the meeting, it was learned that ALPA president Captain Sam Thomas said there was “corruption at all levels” in the Civil Aviation Department and DGCA, after which the panel members asked them to produce proof. Questions have been raised as to how the regulator gave IndiGo permission to deploy 10% more flights in the winter schedule and whether it assessed the airline’s readiness to implement the new customs norms. Pilot authorities also discussed the demanding conditions under which they have to perform their flying duties and how airlines are misinterpreting the rules in their favor, the sources said.
IndiGo reiterated that the major flight cancellations were due to a “combination of factors”, which it explained in earlier statements as minor technical glitches, changes to the winter flight schedule, adverse weather and congestion in the airline system, as well as the introduction of new rest and service standards for pilots.
The DGCA was asked whether it consulted all parties before introducing the norms, to which it replied in the affirmative, adding that airlines were also given selective exemptions from the norms that came into force from November 1 to facilitate their implementation.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation informed the panel members that an investigation into the operational collapse of IndiGo is underway and a four-member committee has been appointed to identify the root causes. The Parliamentary Committee will meet again on the matter once the ministry’s investigation is complete.
Published – 17 Dec 2025 21:34 IST
