AN FIR IS ESSENTIAL TO UNCOVER THE TRUTH BEHIND THE INDIGO CRISIS: Dr CHANDRA

Assessing the recent IndiGo crisis Dr Jagdeesh Chandra said the crisis was not a routine administrative lapse, but a serious case warranting criminal investigation. He stressed that despite top management knowing about large-scale cancellations on December 3, no instructions were issued to ground staff, flights continued to show as live on systems, and boarding passes and baggage were accepted, leading to chaos at airports. He pointed to prolonged non-compliance with DGCA safety guidelines, false assurances given to the government on December 1, and the abrupt cancellation of nearly 5,000 flights as evidence of managerial failure, arrogance, and possible intent. Dr Chandra stressed that public suspicion cannot be ignored and a formal FIR, custodial questioning, and a thorough criminal probe are essential to establish whether the disruption was sudden or deliberately engineered and to restore public trust. Excerpts... (Part-II)

• When IndiGo’s top management knew that large-scale cancellations were underway on December 3, why were Boarding passes still issued and check-in luggage accepted at airports?
  Dr Jagdeesh Chandra: Look, this is a matter that requires a police investigation and a deeper probe. This is not an issue for a civil inquiry, nor is it a routine administrative action. You see, I have concrete information that on the 3rd, IndiGo staff reported at all airports and all passengers also arrived. In the staff’s system, all flights were showing as live. There were no instructions from the top leadership to cancel flights, to stop accepting baggage, or to stop issuing Boarding passes. Such instructions were not given. So, the ground staff believed that since the flights were appearing live on the system, they should issue Boarding passes and accept luggage. They did exactly that.
  Later, when the flights were grounded, they realised in the evening that this had turned into a kind of ‘scandal.’ Hence, the issuance of Boarding passes happened due to a lack of co-ordination between the top leadership and the ground staff. Or there could have been a conspiracy at the top level, and you cannot rule out the possibility that this was done to create pressure in some manner. Overall, it is extremely disturbing that even after Boarding passes were issued, people were left wandering, stuck at airports for hours, and did not get their flights.

• Was the IndiGo crisis sudden, or was it self-created and engineered?
  As far as I am concerned, based on what I know of IndiGo as a traveller, or the reputation the company has, I do not believe that it is part of this dirty game. However, the evidence suggests something else, which goes against my own thinking. The first and most basic question is why your own system was not alerted that all flights had been cancelled. Why was no message sent to passengers’ mobile phones at 12 midnight informing them that flights had been cancelled. In itself, how serious a criminal offence is this. And did this just happen casually. That is not possible. But how does one even find out, because this remains only a theory.
  There is another theory under which IndiGo’s Chairman, Mr Mehta, released a seven-minute video, apologised to the country, and stated that allegations claiming the disruption was voluntary are baseless. But in a large part of the country, among a large section of the population, there is suspicion and a belief that IndiGo carried this out through espionage. To remove this impression and to know the truth, I believe that a formal FIR should be registered against unknown persons behind this issue, and custodial interrogation of those involved should be conducted, which can lead you to the truth.
  Given that an atmosphere of suspicion has been created across the country, at the right time IndiGo should be taken into confidence and a criminal investigation should be conducted so that the country comes to know the truth and IndiGo is also freed from the allegations being levelled against it, and the entire country knows what actually happened. Whether this was sudden, or whether it was an ‘engineered scenario,’ this will have to be examined.

• What were the basic reasons behind this major and unprecedented disruption of IndiGo services?
  The basic reason was that safety rules had been in place for the last one and a half years. The government had instructed IndiGo to implement them, but IndiGo kept postponing their implementation. Eventually, the government took a strict stand, after which IndiGo suddenly suspended a large number of flights from one morning without any notice. This led to sudden chaos and anarchy. The core issue was a serious failure of management and supervisory failure, with no clarity at any level about what actions would trigger what consequences. Panic spread rapidly. IndiGo emerged as the main culprit in this situation.

• Between May 31, 2024 and November 1, 2025, a period of about one and a half years, why did IndiGo’s top management fail to take necessary steps to implement the new FTDL safety guidelines, resulting in massive disruption from December 1?
  What actually happened was that these guidelines were supposed to be implemented from November 1. The DGCA and the Ministry clearly communicated that this was the final deadline. However, IndiGo did not implement them. They may have been overconfident. DGCA then initiated a dialogue process, and a chain of meetings took place between IndiGo, DGCA, and Ministry officials. Every time one query was resolved, IndiGo raised another. This cycle continued until December arrived, and what followed thereafter is evident. It was a case of total non-cooperation and lack of understanding on the part of IndiGo with respect to DGCA and the government.
  It should also be noted that more than 5,000 flights were cancelled during this period, not fewer, and on the first day alone more than 150 flights were cancelled.

• Is it true that on December 1, through DGCA, IndiGo assured the government that it was ready to implement the new safety law, but two days later, on December 3, mass flight cancellations began?
  It was a criminal breach of trust and a betrayal, something that should never have happened at this level. The Minister stated in Parliament that on December 1, discussions took place between IndiGo and DGCA officials. IndiGo was again asked whether it was ready to implement safety rules and comply with operations. They confidently replied in the affirmative. When asked if they needed any clarification, they sought some, which were duly provided by DGCA and the Ministry. IndiGo then stated that everything was normal. Yet, the very next morning, flight cancellations began—150 on the first day, then 250, 550, 800, and eventually 1,700. Within seven days, around 5,000 flights were cancelled. This false assurance by a major company at such a high level is a matter of serious concern and warrants punitive action. This has never happened before at the Ministry level. The assurances given by IndiGo’s top management were not honoured, leading to nationwide chaos and raising serious questions about intent.

• Do you believe that arrogance or overconfidence on IndiGo’s part also contributed to the crisis?
  Of course. Many believe that a degree of arrogance is inbuilt into IndiGo’s culture and system. They may have believed that with a 65 percent market share, no one could stop them and that the country depends on them. This arrogance proved fatal. There was also overconfidence that the rules had already been delayed for one and a half years and could be delayed further through extensions, political pressure, bargaining power, or monopolistic influence. To some extent, arrogance and overconfidence were reasons for this crisis, apart from deliberate non-compliance, which is now under investigation.

• In response to DGCA’s notice, IndiGo stated that it was “not possible to specify the exact cause at this time.” What kind of arrogance was this?
  That was their initial reaction. However, by now, they have rectified that inappropriate response. They have appointed an Aviation expert, John, to conduct a ‘root-cause analysis’ of what actually happened. Their earlier statement has effectively been withdrawn and rendered ineffective. Now, an independent analysis is underway to determine the real cause of the entire scenario. We will have to wait and see what the report concludes and when it is submitted.

• When air services were disrupted on such a massive scale, why did IndiGo take so long to return passengers’ luggage and issue refunds?
  There was a complete chain reaction. There was panic, and nobody was paying attention. No one was in control of the situation. There was chaos everywhere. Pilots were probably trying to resolve their own issues, and the management was clueless about how to respond. Overall, it was a case of major negligence and a complete administrative failure on the part of IndiGo, which is why it took such a long time to return luggage and process refunds. There were wedding clothes lying in the baggage, suits and essential items that people needed to check into hotels, but everything remained stuck. The situation was total chaos. It is ironic that the country’s largest airline turned air travel into chaos. That is exactly what happened in this case.

• Some people are calling the IndiGo crisis a classic example of ‘Corporate negligence.’ Do you agree?
  Absolutely. This view has been accepted across the country and within the entire Aviation industry. Nobody is willing to accept the explanation that bad weather or communication gaps were responsible. The fundamental question is that all pilots did not disappear overnight, nor did DGCA issue any instruction asking pilots to stop flying. Only some pilots were unavailable, while others could have been deployed, but no effort was made in that direction. No genuine attempt was visible. At a global level, this incident will be seen as a case of ‘Corporate failure’ and ‘Governance failure.’ In my view, the IndiGo case will eventually become a case study.

• Because of the pilot shortage, the Aviation Ministry has reduced IndiGo’s flight schedule by 10 percent. What will be the consequences of this decision?
  It is unfortunate, but under the present circumstances, there was no alternative. One could call it a conspiracy of circumstances. There was a debate on whether the reduction should be 5 percent, 10 percent, or even 25 percent. Ultimately, a 10 percent reduction was agreed upon. The consequences will be serious. Connectivity will suffer, air services will be disrupted, and passengers will be the biggest sufferers. Even today, several flights from Jaipur have been cancelled. In the end, it is the traveller, who bears the loss. This is a serious issue, and its full impact will become clearer after February 10.

• What role did IndiGo’s Board of Directors play in this crisis?
  Boards are often ceremonial in nature, but when a matter involves criminal investigation, responsibility does extend to them. After this incident, the Board must identify the root causes, fix accountability, and ensure that such failures are not repeated. The reputational damage has also affected the Board.

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