In a swift response to the nationwide disruption triggered by IndiGo&rsquo;s operational breakdown, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has ordered immediate on-ground inspections at 11 major airports. The regulator has directed its regional officers to reach Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, Surat, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Shirdi, Cochin, Lucknow, Amritsar and Dehradun within the next 48&ndash;72 hours and file detailed reports within 24 hours of each visit.&nbsp;
The inspections aim to assess the airports&rsquo; readiness to handle cascading delays, rising passenger grievances and sudden load surges caused by IndiGo&rsquo;s large-scale cancellations. DGCA teams have been tasked with examining every aspect of airport functioning from queue management at check-in and security to congestion at boarding gates, baggage handling backlogs, availability of drinking water and the effectiveness of airline help desks.&nbsp;
A key focus area will be the support provided to vulnerable passengers, including the elderly, children, pregnant women and those with reduced mobility. Officers will also review whether senior airline managers are physically present at terminals, the cleanliness and hygiene of terminal facilities, housekeeping deployment, and whether operational control rooms are running seamlessly during the crisis.
The regulator has further instructed officers to verify the timeliness of SMS, WhatsApp and email alerts sent to passengers, assess the functioning of grievance redress systems, and gather direct feedback from affected fliers. Coordination with airport directors, CISF units, IndiGo station heads and terminal operators has been made mandatory to ensure a comprehensive review before DGCA issues its next set of corrective directives.

Regulator launches rapid inspections at 11 airports after IndiGo chaos deepens

DGCA Orders Airport Safety Sweep

Regulator launches rapid inspections at 11 airports after IndiGo chaos deepens

December 10, 2025 | 22:18 IST