DGCA cites violations in IndiGo’s training at facilities across six cities
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has imposed a total penalty of ₹40 lakh on IndiGo Airlines for conducting pilot training on flight simulators that were not qualified for operations at critical airports such as Calicut, Leh, and Kathmandu.
The DGCA levied two separate fines of ₹20 lakh each — one on IndiGo’s Director of Training and another on its Director of Flight Operations (DFO) — for violating the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and directives issued under Rule 133A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937.
The regulator’s probe, based on IndiGo’s training records and email correspondences between July 24 and July 31, 2025, found that the airline had used Full Flight Simulators (FFS) not certified for Category C (critical) airports to train around 1,700 pilots, including both captains and first officers.
Category C airports, such as Calicut, Leh, and Kathmandu, require specialized training due to complex terrain, weather challenges, and limited approach paths. Only simulators specifically approved for these airports may be used for training.
The DGCA’s findings list 20 simulators across IndiGo’s training facilities in Chennai, Delhi, Bengaluru, Greater Noida, Gurugram, and Hyderabad. These devices — belonging to training organizations such as CSTPL, FSTC, ACAT, and Airbus — were found to be “not qualified for Calicut and/or Leh” despite being used for related simulator sessions.
Following the findings, DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s Director of Training on August 11, 2025. The airline’s response on August 22 was deemed unsatisfactory, leading to the penalties.
“You were responsible for ensuring compliance with all applicable Civil Aviation Requirements. However, it has been observed that you failed to ensure the use of appropriately qualified simulators for training related to Class III (critical) airports,” the DGCA order stated.
Under Rule 162 of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and Schedule VI-B (Severity Level 5), the regulator imposed ₹20 lakh fines each on IndiGo’s Director of Training and Director of Flight Operations. Separate demand notices were issued, directing the officials to deposit the penalty amount in the government’s Bharatkosh account within 30 days.
The order also allows IndiGo to appeal the decision within 30 days by paying a statutory fee of ₹1,000 under Rule 3B of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and Section 33(1) of the Bharatiya Vayu Yan Adhiniyam, 2024.
DGCA has instructed IndiGo to confirm payment compliance within the stipulated period, warning that non-compliance could invite further enforcement action.
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DGCA is living in stone age. India aspiring to world power, rest all govt institutions are competing to go back in time stone age of kaliyug. Did it require an investigation or common knowledge to arrive on use of non-standard flight simulators ? when it is open source information for many years.