New Delhi: India’s aviation regulator has pulled up IndiGo after five consecutive days of widespread flight cancellations and delays, issuing a show cause notice to the airline’s chief executive amid mounting passenger distress.

IndiGo has faced severe operational disruptions for five days, with hundreds of flights cancelled or delayed, leaving thousands of passengers stranded or struggling to rearrange travel plans.

According to sources, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) acted after assessing the scale of disruption and the airline’s apparent inability to stabilise operations.

The regulator’s notice stated that the large-scale operational failures point to “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management”.

It further added that as CEO, Pieter Elbers is responsible for ensuring effective management of the airline but has “failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers”.

The DGCA has directed Elbers to respond within 24 hours.

The notice cites IndiGo’s “non-provisioning of adequate arrangements” needed to meet the revised requirements for smooth implementation of the airline’s approved Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) scheme as the primary cause of the turmoil.

Apart from Elbers, the regulator has also issued a show cause notice to IndiGo’s Accountable Manager, signalling deeper scrutiny into the airline’s operational planning and oversight.

Meanwhile, a senior government official said authorities will decide on further action after reviewing the findings of the DGCA’s inquiry committee. The panel is assessing the causes behind five straight days of cancellations and delays.

High-level review meeting

Amid rising passenger complaints, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu held a “serious meeting” with Elbers in New Delhi on Saturday. Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha and DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai also attended the review.

The official said the government’s immediate priority is restoring normal operations, and IndiGo has been instructed to process refunds quickly for affected travellers.

With flight disruptions continuing at major airports across the country, the DGCA has constituted a four-member inquiry panel to examine the causes of the crisis and recommend measures to prevent similar incidents in future.