India’s civil-aviation regulator has sent a blunt signal to airlines that operational chaos will carry a price. In a 40-page enforcement order released at 03:48 IST on 18 January 2026, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) levied a ₹22.2-crore (US $2.7 million) fine on market-leader IndiGo for the massive schedule meltdown that stranded more than 300,000 passengers between 3 and 10 December 2025.
The DGCA inquiry found that IndiGo over-optimised its winter schedule while failing to build crew-rest buffers required under India’s new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that took effect last month. When dense fog and crew shortages converged, the network collapsed, forcing 2,507 cancellations and 1,852 long delays in just three days. Investigators also cited inadequate crisis management, poor software support and “commercial imperatives placed above safety.”
Amidst such turbulence, VisaHQ’s India specialists (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can be invaluable, fast-tracking business visas, e-visas and other travel documents so companies can rapidly rebook staff on alternative flights or reroute them through neighbouring hubs without administrative holdups.
![DGCA hits IndiGo with record ₹22.2-crore penalty over December flight collapse]()
Apart from the headline fine, the airline must lodge a ₹50-crore bank guarantee tied to future compliance and remove its senior vice-president of the Operations Control Centre from any accountable position. The DGCA issued personal warnings to the chief executive officer, chief operating officer and rostering managers, signalling that individual accountability will accompany corporate penalties.
For business travellers and mobility managers, the order is a wake-up call. IndiGo operates more than half of all domestic flights and a growing share of regional international services; disruption at the carrier quickly cascades across India-centric itineraries. The DGCA’s stance should push airlines to build operational resilience—extra standby crews, realistic block times and better passenger re-routing plans—especially during peak winter fog season.
Multinational firms moving staff in and out of India should review service-level agreements with travel providers and ensure mobility policies allow for alternative routings or carriers. The precedent also suggests regulators will not hesitate to use heavy fines to enforce the new pilot-fatigue rules, making compliance a board-level risk issue for every airline serving India.
The DGCA inquiry found that IndiGo over-optimised its winter schedule while failing to build crew-rest buffers required under India’s new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that took effect last month. When dense fog and crew shortages converged, the network collapsed, forcing 2,507 cancellations and 1,852 long delays in just three days. Investigators also cited inadequate crisis management, poor software support and “commercial imperatives placed above safety.”
Amidst such turbulence, VisaHQ’s India specialists (https://www.visahq.com/india/) can be invaluable, fast-tracking business visas, e-visas and other travel documents so companies can rapidly rebook staff on alternative flights or reroute them through neighbouring hubs without administrative holdups.
Apart from the headline fine, the airline must lodge a ₹50-crore bank guarantee tied to future compliance and remove its senior vice-president of the Operations Control Centre from any accountable position. The DGCA issued personal warnings to the chief executive officer, chief operating officer and rostering managers, signalling that individual accountability will accompany corporate penalties.
For business travellers and mobility managers, the order is a wake-up call. IndiGo operates more than half of all domestic flights and a growing share of regional international services; disruption at the carrier quickly cascades across India-centric itineraries. The DGCA’s stance should push airlines to build operational resilience—extra standby crews, realistic block times and better passenger re-routing plans—especially during peak winter fog season.
Multinational firms moving staff in and out of India should review service-level agreements with travel providers and ensure mobility policies allow for alternative routings or carriers. The precedent also suggests regulators will not hesitate to use heavy fines to enforce the new pilot-fatigue rules, making compliance a board-level risk issue for every airline serving India.
