IndiGo’s December disruption stranded 16.2 lakh domestic flyers: DGCA

CHENNAI: When IndiGo’s formation operations went topsy-turvy successful December past year, determination were videos and photos of hapless and bushed passengers confronting crushed staff. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has present enactment a fig to their faces.The directorate’s monthly postulation information for Dec 2025 says 16.2 lakh home flyers were stranded astatine airports crossed the state owed to the non-availability of either IndiGo craft oregon their unit members. The fig of radical affected owed to full cancellation of flights was 9.8 lakh, portion those stranded astatine the airports owed to delays beyond 2 hours were 6.4 lakh.Simultaneously, 43,278 flyers who had booked flights connected Air India and Air India Express were affected owed to cancellation of flights.

The fig of passengers affected owed to delays beyond 2 hours was astir 1.2 lakh.DGCA prepared the postulation study based connected accusation received from the respective home airlines. IndiGo spent astir Rs 22.7 crore connected refunds, alternate flights and different facilitation successful the aforesaid month, it said. The airline, however, said it cannot stock details astir the fig of passengers eligible for compensation and the fig compensated truthful farAt a Jan 29 gathering to reappraisal IndiGo’s operations, the hose assured that it would beryllium bully to alert without immoderate disruption, adjacent with the removal of exemptions to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) regulations from Feb 10 onwards, arsenic they present person capable pilots connected the roster.

Civil aviation adept Captain M Ranganathan said the occupation is yet acold from over. “For each home flight, an hose should person six pairs of pilots and co-pilots, and for long-haul flights determination should beryllium 11 pairs. The aviator availability they submitted is based connected DGCA’s civilian aviation requirements (CAR) regulations 2022. For their contiguous fleet, determination volition inactive beryllium a deficiency of pilots nether caller regulations.

There is different tempest brewing if the occupation is not addressed,” helium said.Several pilots told TOI the biggest occupation was mediocre pay. “Pilots’ wage is precise debased successful India compared to different countries, and pilots are among the highest taxpayers,” said a pilot.