Aviation body issues notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, seeks reply in 24 hours

India’s aviation crisis widened on Saturday after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, demanding an explanation for the airline’s spiralling delays, cancellations and operational breakdowns.

The regulator has given him 24 hours to respond, warning that failure to do so will invite punitive action.

The DGCA said the disruption, running into hundreds of cancellations daily, caused “severe inconvenience, hardship and distress” to passengers.

According to the notice, the “primary cause” of the breakdown was IndiGo’s non-provisioning of essential arrangements required for smooth implementation of the approved FDTL scheme.

The regulator also said the large-scale operational



collapse reflected “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.”

The notice also stated that IndiGo failed to provide passengers with the information and facilities mandated during cancellations, long delays and denied boarding.

The regulator directly held the CEO responsible, saying he “failed in his duty” to ensure reliable operations and to provide the facilities passengers are entitled to.

The move marks the strongest step yet from authorities as IndiGo’s disruptions stretch into the fifth consecutive day and passenger distress intensifies across major airports.

The notice was triggered by the scale of cancellations and delays that have crippled IndiGo’s network, with more than 850 flights cancelled today alone.