IndiGo seeks more time to reply to show-cause notices

IndiGo “profusely apologised” to the Union government on Monday (December 8, 2025) and sought additional time to respond to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s (DGCA) show-cause notices issued to the airline, citing that the regulator’s norms allow a 15-day window to file a response instead of the 48 hours granted to it.

The airline also informed the government that it was “not realistically possible to pinpoint the exact causes” of the widespread disruptions in its flight operations in recent weeks due to the complexity and vast scale of operations, according to a statement issued by the Ministry of Civil Aviation.

The DGCA had on Saturday served show-cause notices to IndiGo’s Chief Operating Officer Isidro Porqueras and CEO Pieter Elbers. The notices stated that “large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management”, and failure to comply with its new norms governing pilot rest and duty hours, which came into effect on November 1.

‘15.3 lakh passengers hit’

Over 4,000 flights were cancelled by the airline in the past week. A total of 15.3 lakh passengers were affected due to cancellations between November 21 and December 7, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said in reply to questions in the Rajya Sabha on Monday.

In its communication to the government, the airline reiterated that the flight disruptions were due to a combination of multiple factors, including technical glitches, flight schedule changes owing to the start of the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system as well as the implementation of new norms on pilot rest and duty hours, specifically those that regulate their flying during night hours following concerns over mounting levels of fatigue.

Meanwhile, according to a statement from IndiGo, flight cancellations on Monday were down to 500 from 1,500 on December 5. It stated that the airline’s other operational parameters were also improving, including punctuality, which was up from barely 3.5% flights a few days ago to over 90% flights departing + or – 15 minutes of the scheduled time slot for arrivals and departures.

The airline has also released ₹826 crore in reimbursements as well as returned 4,500 of the 9,000 pieces of delayed baggage after the government gave an ultimatum on December 6 to ensure quick redressal of grievances from affected passengers, it stated.

Serious matter: CJI

In the Supreme Court, Chief Justice of India Surya Kant refused to entertain an oral plea by lawyers for judicial intervention in the IndiGo crisis, but termed the matter “serious”. Justice Kant said the mass flight cancellations had already affected lakhs of passengers whose travel plans to access medical care or for work had been gravely hampered. However, the CJI said the court need not step in as the government was already involved in finding a resolution.

(With inputs from Krishnadas Rajagopal)