New Delhi – India's aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has deployed an eight-member oversight team to monitor IndiGo's operations following widespread flight cancellations and delays. The team will be stationed at IndiGo's corporate office in Gurugram, with two members working daily to review ground processes. This move comes after thousands of IndiGo flights were disrupted, causing significant inconvenience to passengers across major Indian airports. ^{[1][2][3][4][5]}### Widespread Disruptions and Regulatory Response IndiGo, India's largest airline, has faced an "operational crisis" since early December, with cancellations reportedly reaching 170-200 flights a day at peak. On December 4 alone, over 550 flights were cancelled nationwide, severely impacting hubs like Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad. T^[1][2]he disruptions have left thousands of passengers stranded, facing long queues and last-minute schedule changes. T^[1][2][6]he Civil Aviation Ministry and the DGCA have been monitoring the situation since December 3, categorizing the events as "extraordinary circumstances." ^[7]The DGCA issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras, citing major shortcomings in planning, oversight, and resource management. T^[8][9]he regulator also ordered a 5 percent reduction in IndiGo's winter schedule, removing roughly 100-110 daily flights from the approved plan, stating the airline could not operate its full schedule efficiently. T^[1][10][11]his reduction could affect 65,000 to 81,000 daily passengers and may lead to higher airfares. I^[12]ndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta publicly apologized for the disruptions, acknowledging that the airline "did not meet your expectations" and expressed regret for the distress caused. ^[2][6][13]### DGCA Oversight Team's Mandate The newly formed eight-member DGCA oversight team comprises senior Flight Operations Inspectors. Two of these officers, along with two government officials, will be permanently stationed at IndiGo's corporate office in Gurugram. T^{[2][3][14][15][16]}heir primary role is to closely monitor various operational parameters. These include fleet availability, pilot strength, crew duty hours and utilization, and standby crew deployment. ^{[6][14][17][18]}Additionally, the team will oversee flight cancellation status for both domestic and international routes, refund processing, on-time performance, passenger compensation, and baggage return. T^{[14][17][15][16][18]}he team is mandated to submit daily reports by 6 PM to Joint Director General (Administration) Harish Kumar Vashishth and Joint Director General Jai Prakash Pandey. T^[14][16]he DGCA has also ordered immediate on-site inspections at 11 airports across the country, including Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, and Lucknow. These inspections will assess safety, operational preparedness, and passenger facilitation measures. ^[17][15]### Reasons for the Crisis and Airline Response IndiGo attributed the widespread disruptions to a "compounding effect" of multiple factors. These include minor technical glitches, schedule changes linked to the start of the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased air traffic congestion, and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules known as Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) Phase II. I^{[1][19][20][13][21][9]}ndiGo acknowledged it "failed to anticipate the actual crew requirement" under the new FDTL norms. ^[1]The new FDTL Phase II rules, implemented earlier this year, increased required rest periods for pilots and restricted night landing and duty hours to address pilot fatigue. A^{[1][8][11][22]}viation experts and pilot unions suggest IndiGo was heavily impacted due to inadequate planning for these new regulations, including a hiring freeze and maintaining a pilot pay freeze. I^[23]ndiGo stated it had been discussing challenges with the DGCA regarding FDTL Phase II implementation and had sought variations, exemptions, or extensions. T^[19][20]he airline is now working to stabilize operations, accelerate crew recruitment and training, and gradually resume flights once roster resilience is restored. I^[1]ndiGo has also initiated an internal crisis-management group at the board level to oversee operations stabilization and customer support. ^[1]### Passenger Impact and Future Steps The flight cancellations have affected thousands of passengers, with over 2.6 lakh travelers directly impacted at Mumbai airport alone between December 1 and 8. M^[24][25]any faced missed connections, exams, medical appointments, and lost or delayed baggage. W^[6][24]hile IndiGo claims to have processed substantial refunds for affected customers, Indian compensation norms are considered inadequate, not covering additional costs like new tickets at higher prices or hotel stays. T^[19][12]he Delhi High Court has also questioned the Centre regarding the surge in airfares and asked how other airlines were allowed to take advantage of the crisis. ^[6]The DGCA temporarily relaxed certain night-duty restrictions under the FDTL regime for IndiGo to help the airline re-adjust crew schedules and recover operations. I^[1]ndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers stated that full operational normalcy is expected between December 10 and 15. H^[23]owever, cancellations continued even after this assurance, with nearly 220 flights cancelled at major airports on December 10. T^[2][6][10]he DGCA continues to examine IndiGo's response to the show-cause notices and will take further enforcement action as appropriate. ^[19][9]

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