New Delhi, India: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, after an inspection revealed that the carrier had been using certain pilot training simulators without securing the necessary regulatory approval.
According to DGCA officials, routine surveillance and compliance checks found that a few Airbus A320 Full Flight Simulators at IndiGo’s training facility were not in line with the mandatory certification standards under Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) for pilot training. These simulators are used for crucial functions such as type rating, recurrent training, and proficiency checks, all of which are mandatory for maintaining a pilot’s operational license.
“The operator has been asked to explain why these devices were used for training and assessment without approval. This is a serious compliance lapse,” a senior DGCA official said on condition of anonymity. The notice gives the airline a period of seven days to respond, failing which the regulator may initiate enforcement action, including possible suspension of related training approvals.
IndiGo, in an emailed statement to The Economic Times, acknowledged receiving the notice and confirmed it had “temporarily withdrawn the use of the identified simulators pending regulatory clearance.” The airline added that it is “fully cooperating with the DGCA to ensure that all training devices meet the required technical and regulatory standards.”
This is not the first time the DGCA has tightened oversight on simulator usage in India’s civil aviation sector. In March 2024, the regulator grounded a simulator at another training organization over discrepancies in calibration, highlighting its zero-tolerance stance on safety compliance. Industry experts note that any gaps in simulator certification can have downstream effects on pilot preparedness and, by extension, flight safety.
The DGCA has yet to announce whether further sanctions will be imposed on IndiGo. For now, the matter remains under review pending the airline’s formal response.
