IndiGo flights chaos: Airline told to dismiss senior VP, issue warning to COO — 5 things govt told Delhi High Court

Civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), on Thursday, 22 January 2026, ordered India's largest airline operator, IndiGo, to dismiss a senior vice president, while issuing warnings to six senior executives, including the company's Chief Operating Officer (COO), according to a law officer, aware of the development.

DGCA's submission was made in a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the IndiGo flight chaos, which resulted in mass cancellations of flights, passenger compensations, and additional ground support to assist the stranded passengers in December 2025.

Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma represented the civil aviation ministry and DGCA, and the judge bench comprised of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia in the IndiGo case.

The Delhi High Court is scheduled to hear the matter next on 25 February 2026.

The law officer also said that DGCA has imposed a ₹22.2 crore penalty on the airline for the incident which happened last December.

2. Dismissal & warnings: DGCA's lawyer also said that the regulator has issued warnings to IndiGo's COO, Isidre Porqueras Orea, a company director, among six senior executives on Thursday, 22 January 2026.

3. ₹50 crore deposit: Chetan Sharma said that DGCA has also asked IndiGo to deposit ₹50 crore as bank guarantees, which are to be refunded as and when the airline operator implements the necessary corrections in its operations.

4. Impact of operations: According to a PTI report, between 3 to 5 December 2025, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said that IndiGo recorded 2,507 flight cancellations and 1,852 flight delays, impacting more than 3 lakh passengers at airports across India.

Mint reported earlier how IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights across India as the airline was not prepared for the central government's revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDLT) norms.

5. Travel vouchers: DGCA also said that IndiGo was offering ₹10,000 as a travel voucher to the passengers who were stranded due to the massive disruption in the airline's operations, which would expire in some time, according to the agency report.

Delhi High Court asked IndiGo's counsel to issue a clarification on what would happen to a voucher if an individual was unable to utilise it within the prescribed time frame.

The news agency's report also highlighted that IndiGo's legal counsel acknowledged taking the instructions. “Please file an affidavit,” said the High Court bench.

“This quarter, the Company faced major operational disruptions that resulted in significant flight cancellations and delays from 3rd to 5th December. We deeply regret the inconvenience faced by our customers and express our heartfelt gratitude for their patience and trust,” the executive said.

Pieter Elbers also said that the company the company has strong fundamentals and backed by the expanding fleet, growing domestic and international network the airline looks ahead to provide reliability, operational excellence and enhanced customer experience.

IndiGo reported a 77.55% YoY drop in its consolidated profit was at ₹549.8 crore for the October to December quarter of the financial year 2025-26, compared to ₹2,448.8 crore in the same quarter of the previous financial year, according to its latest BSE filing.