The aviation regulator on Friday suspended four flight operations inspectors in connection with regulatory lapses during the recent IndiGo operational crisis that disrupted air travel for millions of passengers across the country. The move comes amid mounting criticism over the handling of widespread flight cancellations, delays and baggage issues that have plagued the airline since early December.
According to official orders dated December 11, the contracts of the four inspectors &mdash; Rishi Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal and Priyam Kaushik &mdash; have been terminated with immediate effect. The inspectors, who were engaged on a contractual basis, were part of the regulator&rsquo;s safety and operational oversight mechanism and have now been relieved to return to their respective parent organisations.
The action follows intense scrutiny of the airline&rsquo;s operations after thousands of flights were cancelled and several million passengers were left stranded or affected by delays and misplaced baggage. Despite assurances from the airline and authorities that services were stabilising, around 160 flights were cancelled even on Friday.
The government has tightened oversight of the airline and summoned its senior leadership for consecutive days of questioning as part of an ongoing probe into the disruptions. Senior officials were questioned separately by a four-member committee examining the crisis and the airline&rsquo;s operational preparedness.
The turmoil has also drawn the attention of competition authorities, who are internally examining whether the airline&rsquo;s dominant position in the domestic aviation market &mdash; estimated at around 65% &mdash; may have led to violations of competition norms. Officials are reviewing aspects such as route dominance and potential abuse of market power, though no formal complaint has been filed.
Data presented in Parliament earlier highlighted how the airline&rsquo;s lean operational model may have been stretched beyond capacity. The airline&rsquo;s pilot strength reportedly declined by about 7% between March and December, even as it scheduled approximately 6% more flights during the winter season compared to summer operations.
In response to the crisis, the airline&rsquo;s board has approved the appointment of an independent aviation advisory firm to conduct a root cause analysis of the operational breakdown. The review was recommended by a crisis management group formed soon after the disruptions began, and a comprehensive report is expected to be submitted to the board.
The airline&rsquo;s long-standing reliance on aggressive scheduling and high aircraft utilisation reportedly came under strain following new safety regulations that increased mandatory weekly rest periods for pilots. The crisis became visible on December 2, when over 100 flights were cancelled in a single day. Between December 2 and December 9, an estimated 5,500 flights were cancelled, with most disruptions affecting domestic operations.
Passengers faced significant difficulties in rescheduling travel, obtaining refunds and recovering baggage, while authorities and the airline were criticised for a lack of transparency and slow response. To address the situation, the regulator granted temporary exemptions related to pilot duty hours and allowed the recall of pilots on deputation, while insisting that safety standards were not compromised.
As criticism intensified, regulatory teams were deployed at the airline&rsquo;s corporate office and major airports to monitor operations closely. An eight-member inspection team has been tasked with reviewing the airline&rsquo;s fleet strength, pilot availability, network planning and crew utilisation, while another team is overseeing cancellations, punctuality, refunds and baggage delivery. Additionally, the government has reduced the airline&rsquo;s winter flight schedule by 10% in an effort to stabilise operations.

IndiGo scheduling meltdown affected millions of flyers

Four flight operations inspectors suspended as IndiGo disruptions trigger probe

IndiGo Crisis: 4 DGCA Inspectors Suspended

Four flight operations inspectors suspended as IndiGo disruptions trigger probe

December 13, 2025 | 15:49 IST