₹3 lakh a day for 68 days: IndiGo fined ₹22.2 crore by DGCA for mass flight cancellations, disruptions

General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed fines ₹22.2 crore due to major disruptions in December, the regulator said on Saturday. Aviation watchdog issues fine ₹3 lakh per day for 68 days and one-time additional systemic penalty. ₹Total fine imposed on domestic carrier increased to 1.80 crore ₹22.2 crore.

Indigo witnessed 2,507 flight cancellations and 1,852 delays during major disruptions in December last year.

IndiGo flight chaos

What started with one-day cancellations and delays in IndiGo’s flights quickly turned into a full-blown crisis. It was stated that passengers reported delays starting from December 2025, the interruption in services continued for at least 10 days, a total of 2,507 flights were canceled and 1,852 flights were postponed.

As chaos ensued, social media was flooded with images and videos of stranded passengers scrambling to retrieve their luggage and checked luggage scattered across airport floors.

News of the crisis also reached Parliament and Congress Rajya Sabha MP Pramod Tiwari raised the issue in the Upper House, attributing it to a “monopoly” in the aviation sector.

Following the large-scale disruptions, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had set up a four-member committee headed by Director General Sanjay K Brahmane to comprehensively examine and evaluate the conditions that led to these disruptions.

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– In addition to imposing ₹22.2 crore fine, DGCA also orders IndiGo ₹50 crore bank guarantee to ensure long-term systemic fix.

– The aviation watchdog also warned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers that overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management was inadequate.

– DGCA also instructed the domestic airline to have the Senior Vice President in charge of Operations Control Center handle daily operational duties.

(This is a developing story. Keep checking for more updates)