India slaps $2.45m fine on IndiGo for mass flight cancellations in December

India's civil aviation regulator on Saturday imposed a fine of Rs222 million ($2.45 ‌million) on IndiGo, the country's biggest airline, for poor roster planning that led to large-scale flight cancellations in December.

The regulator also issued warnings to senior personnel, including ‍to Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras and ‍to Jason Herter, senior vice president of operations control centre, with directions to IndiGo to relieve Herter "of current operational responsibilities."

A government source said the fine was the largest ‌to date.

The total penalty includes a one-time fine of Rs18 million for multiple violations of Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs).

Airports across India were thrown into disarray late last year, with the private carrier admitting "misjudgement and planning gaps" in adapting to a new policy of pilot rest.

Stranded passengers wait near the IndiGo airlines ticketing desk at the Lal Bahadur Shastri International Airport in Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh. File / AFP

Over 4,000 mostly domestic flights were either cancelled or delayed for over a week across the country, stranding hundreds of thousands of passengers.

The operational meltdown came even though IndiGo had two years to prepare for the new rules aimed at giving pilots more rest periods in between flights to enhance passenger safety.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said it was levying the penalty for several lapses, including "failure to strike (a) balance between commercial imperatives and crew members' ability to work effectively."

The regulator ordered IndiGo to relieve its senior vice president of its operations control centre of his responsibilities, according to a statement released on Saturday.

It also issued warnings to senior officials at the company, including CEO Pieter Elbers "for inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management."

IndiGo has been ordered to ‍provide a bank guarantee of $5.51 million in favour of the Directorate General of ​Civil Aviation, to ensure "compliance with the directives and long-term systemic correction," the regulator said.

IndiGo said in ​a ‍statement the board and management were "committed ‌to taking full cognisance of the orders and will, in a thoughtful and timely manner, ​take appropriate ‌measures."

IndiGo, which commands 60 per cent of India's domestic market, operates more than 2,000 flights a day.

The crisis was one of the biggest challenges faced by the no-frills airline that has built its reputation on punctuality.

India is one of the world's fastest growing aviation markets. In November 2024, IndiGo reached a daily level of 500,000 passengers for the first time.

Agencies