IndiGo : Four Flight Operations Inspectors are suspended by the DGCA

IndiGo: Following significant operational interruptions at IndiGo that resulted in thousands of passengers being stranded and thousands of flights being canceled, the aviation safety regulator DGCA dismissed four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs). At Bengaluru Airport, almost fifty IndiGo flights were canceled on Friday alone.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s FOIs are top officials in charge of overseeing safety and regulations. They are used to keep an eye on airline operations and guarantee adherence to aviation regulations.

“The DGCA has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors in connection with the recent large-scale disruptions in IndiGo’s flights,” a source said.

By performing inspections, audits, and certification procedures for airlines and aviation employees, such as pilots, dispatchers, and cabin crew, FOIs play a critical role in ensuring aviation safety. Among its responsibilities include monitoring training and flying standards, confirming regulatory compliance, and supporting initiatives to reduce accidents across India.

“IndiGo has cancelled 54 flights — 31 arrivals and 23 departures — from Bengaluru Airport on Friday,” according to a source.

On Thursday, the troubled airline canceled more than 200 flights from Bengaluru and Delhi.

At 2:00 PM on Friday, IndiGo COO Isidre Porqueras and CEO Pieter Elbers will make another appearance before the DGCA’s inquiry panel.

With authorities positioned at the carrier’s headquarters to oversee operations and an investigation panel questioning CEO Pieter Elbers, the DGCA increased its inspection of the crisis-plagued IndiGo on Thursday.

Elbers was invited to reappear on Friday after appearing before the DGCA-constituted investigation panel on Thursday.

The four-member panel, which includes FOI Lokesh Rampal, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, and Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, has been tasked with determining the underlying reasons for the major domestic carrier’s extensive operational problems.

Assessing personnel planning, varying rostering methods, and the airline’s readiness to adopt the most recent duty time and rest regulations for pilots—which went into effect on November 1 of this year—are all part of the committee’s task.