The four-member panel constituted to probe the massive flight disruptions at IndiGo earlier this week has submitted its report to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), a senior official said.
The inquiry committee, headed by DGCA Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane, was formed on December 5 to conduct a comprehensive review and assessment of the circumstances that led to widespread cancellations and delays across the airline’s network.
The official confirmed that the committee submitted its report on Friday evening.
According to a source, copies of the report have also been shared with the office of Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu and Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha. However, details of the findings were not immediately available.
Apart from Bramhane, the panel included DGCA Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik, and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal.
The probe was ordered after IndiGo cancelled more than 1,600 flights in a single day earlier this month. Inadequate planning while implementing revised pilot rest norms was identified as a key factor behind the disruptions.
In the aftermath, the DGCA directed IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, to reduce its winter schedule by 10 per cent and issued show-cause notices to its CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras.
In its December 5 order announcing the panel, the regulator said that, prima facie, the situation indicated deficiencies in internal oversight, operational preparedness, and compliance planning, “warranting an independent examination”.
The DGCA order noted that the regulator had issued repeated directions and advance instructions to IndiGo regarding timely preparation for implementing provisions related to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
Despite this, the airline failed to put adequate systems in place. The regulator also observed the airline’s inability to accurately forecast crew availability, conduct training on time, and realign rosters even after advance regulatory intimation.
This led to cascading delays and cancellations across its network beginning in late November 2025 and resulted in non-adherence to DGCA directions.
Following the disruptions, the watchdog held a review meeting with IndiGo, during which the airline acknowledged that it had failed to anticipate the actual crew requirement under the revised norms.
It also accepted that planning and assessment gaps existed in implementing Phase-II of FDTL CAR 2024, as recorded in the order.
The Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) related to FDTL were rolled out in two phases, with the first phase taking effect from July 1 and the second from November 1.
“This shortfall directly contributed to large-scale disruptions, with cancellations reaching 170-200 flights daily, severely affecting network integrity and passenger convenience. Where it was noticed in the month of November, the flight cancellations of IndiGo were maximum vis-a-vis other airlines,” the order had said.
With the report now submitted, attention will turn to the DGCA’s next steps and whether regulatory action will follow against the airline based on the panel’s findings.
