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Govt orders inquiry into IndiGo flight crisis after DGCA forced into u-turn on pilot work-hour norms
Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the probe would “examine what went wrong at IndiGo” and “determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions”
The Indian government on Friday ordered a high-level inquiry into the ongoing IndiGo flight crisis, after four days of mass cancellations left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday said the probe would “examine what went wrong at IndiGo” and “determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions.”
He added that the investigation would also “recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future, ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again.” Follow IndiGo flight status LIVE
The aviation watchdog, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted a four member committee to undertake comprehensive review and assess circumstances that led to such massive disruptions in the scheduled flights.
The four members who have been selected for the probe committee are – Sanjay K Bramhane, Joint Director General; Amit Gupta, Deputy Director General; Capt. Kapil Manglik, Senior Flight Operations Inspector, and Capt. Lokesh Rampal, Flight Operations Inspector.
The government’s decision follows a string of emergency measures by the DGCA, triggered by what has become one of IndiGo’s worst operational meltdowns.
Nearly 1,000 flights have been cancelled in just four days, severely disrupting travel during a peak season.
The DGCA said it had issued urgent directives to stabilise IndiGo’s network and bring schedules back on track. The aviation ministry, it added, is “closely monitoring the situation” and has instructed all airlines, particularly IndiGo, to take immediate corrective steps.
DGCA rolls back key duty-time rules
To ease pressure on crew rosters, the regulator has temporarily relaxed the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into effect on November 1.
For instance, exemptions have been granted from: night-duty requirements, rules governing duties that stretch into night hours, and the mandatory weekly rest rule for pilots, which has been withdrawn temporarily to allow airlines more flexibility in scheduling.
The rollback, officials said, is aimed at helping IndiGo recover capacity and prevent further cancellations.
According to the DGCA, passengers can expect flight schedules to begin “returning to normal by midnight”, with full operations stabilising “over the next few days.”
