NEW DELHI: Directorate General of Civil Aviation has summoned IndiGo’s chief executive for an emergency meeting in Delhi on Wednesday afternoon, as the government intensifies its response to the airline’s sprawling operational breakdown that has disrupted travel nationwide. The DGCA has ordered Pieter Elbers to appear at 3pm, along with senior officials across departments, to present “comprehensive data and updates” on the ongoing crisis. It follows days of mass cancellations, soaring complaints from passengers and multiple rounds of government intervention.
The directive was issued alongside a formal inspection order, dated 10 December, instructing DGCA officers to carry out immediate on-site assessments at 11 airports. The regulator said the checks must be completed within two to three days, with reports submitted to its headquarters within 24 hours. Officers have been told to examine safety and operational readiness, congestion inside terminals, queue management, staffing adequacy, manning of 24×7 help desks, communication of delays and cancellations, and even basic amenities such as drinking water. Additional checks include assistance for elderly and vulnerable passengers, seating capacity in holding areas, airline management presence, hygiene standards, housekeeping deployment and baggage-handling backlogs. “Interaction with passengers to obtain direct feedback” has also been mandated.IndiGo’s leadership has been asked to account for its handling of the disruption across six major areas: flight restoration, pilot and crew recruitment, cancellation refunds, baggage return, passenger communication and rerouting policies, as per the order.The summons follows another day of heavy cancellations. On Wednesday alone, the carrier scrapped 61 flights from Bengaluru, according to PTI, despite Elbers saying earlier this week that operations were “back on the feet” and “stable”. On Tuesday, more than 460 flights were cancelled across six metros after the government slashed IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10 per cent—around 220 daily flights—following a previous 5 per cent cut ordered by the DGCA.Elbers has said “lakhs of customers” have received full refunds but offered no figures and declined to address compensation for last-minute cancellations or severe delays. Under the passenger charter, airlines are required to compensate travellers automatically in certain situations.Since December 2, IndiGo has cancelled thousands of flights nationwide after failing to adjust operations to tighter safety regulations. The fallout has caused major bottlenecks at airports, sent airfares soaring on other carriers and triggered widespread complaints over poor communication, long queues and baggage chaos. The DGCA has already issued show-cause notices to Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidro Proqueras, who is also the airline’s Accountable Manager, while the Civil Aviation Ministry has capped fares and ordered flight curtailment to “stabilise the airline’s operations”.
