NEW DELHI: IndiGo has been issued a warning letter by the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), in connection with improper handling of dangerous goods on a flight which arrived at Delhi’s IGIA airport as well as at its storage facility in the airport. The airline has been asked to submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within a month.
DGCA had conducted an audit of one of IndiGo’s storage facilities at Delhi airport and found the handling of dangerous goods not up to the mark. The date of the audit is not specified.
In a statement, the regulator said, “During a DGCA special audit of the Engineering Stores facility at Delhi, multiple regulatory non-compliances under the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2026, in carriage of company material categorised as dangerous goods on its own aircraft were observed. Based on findings DGCA has issued warning to M/s Indigo and directed them to review the training programme to include more practical exercises and operational scenarios,” it said.
The regulator also asked IndiGo to conduct recurrent training for all personnel engaged in company material (COMAT) Dangerous Goods handling at Delhi Airport, the statement said. It also called for strengthening the Continuous Competency Assessment (CCA) system and submit an Action Taken Report within 30 days.
An IndiGo spokesperson confirmed the development. In a statement issued on Friday, the airline said, "Spillage of cargo was detected on one of our flights in January 2026 after its arrival. As a responsible airline, we immediately and proactively informed the relevant authorities following the established protocols, and subsequently shared the findings of our investigation. We have since received a warning letter from the regulator and are incorporating the recommendations laid out in the same. At IndiGo, we remain committed to full compliance with all relevant regulatory guidelines. The safety of our customers remains our top priority.”
Neither the DGCA nor the airline elaborated on the nature of the dangerous goods or the cargo spillage under question.
Negligent handling of dangerous goods can pose risk to safety of passengers and so the regulator conducts regular audits to ensure the protocol in place is adhered to. Severe penalties are imposed for non-compliance.
