Pilot Bodies Allege Corruption in DGCA, Aviation Ministry Over IndiGo Flight Disruptions

The department-related Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, chaired by Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay K. Jha, convened a meeting to examine the impact of revised rest and duty norms for pilots, which have been blamed for large-scale flight cancellations due to inadequate crew planning. The meeting was held in the backdrop of IndiGo’s operational crisis since early December, during which more than 5,000 flights were cancelled, affecting at least 12.5 lakh passengers.

During the nearly three-hour meeting, pilot bodies alleged deep-rooted corruption within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Representatives from the Ministry, the DGCA, senior IndiGo officials including Chief Operations Officer Isidre Porqueras and Senior Vice President (Flight Operations) Ashim Mitra, as well as pilot associations such as the Airlines Pilots Association India (ALPA-I), Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP), were present.

According to sources, ALPA-I president Captain Sam Thomas told the panel that there was “corruption at every level” in the DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation. Members of the parliamentary committee asked the pilot bodies to submit concrete proof in support of their allegations. The panel also questioned how the aviation regulator permitted IndiGo to operate 10% additional flights in the winter schedule and whether the airline’s preparedness to implement the new duty and rest norms had been adequately assessed.

Pilot associations highlighted the demanding working conditions under which pilots operate and accused airlines of misinterpreting aviation rules to suit their commercial interests. They argued that inadequate planning and regulatory oversight had contributed significantly to the disruption of flight operations.

IndiGo, however, maintained that the cancellations were the result of a combination of factors, including minor technical issues, changes in the winter schedule, adverse weather conditions, congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of the revised pilot rest and duty norms.

Responding to questions from the panel, the DGCA stated that all stakeholders had been consulted before the new norms were implemented. The regulator added that airlines were also granted selective exemptions after the norms came into effect on November 1 to facilitate a smoother transition.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation informed the committee that an inquiry was underway into IndiGo’s operational collapse and that a four-member committee had been constituted to identify the root causes. The parliamentary panel is expected to take up the issue again after the Ministry submits the findings of its inquiry.