DGCA Cracks Down on IndiGo Over Dangerous Goods Safety Lapses

India's aviation regulator has intensified its focus on airline safety, with IndiGo , the country's largest carrier, coming under fresh scrutiny over lapses in handling hazardous cargo. The latest action by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) underscores the regulator's zero-tolerance approach towards safety-critical operations and reinforces the stringent framework governing the transport of dangerous goods by air.

The DGCA has issued a warning letter to IndiGo after a cargo spillage incident in January 2026 led to a special audit of the airline's engineering stores facility in Delhi. The audit uncovered multiple regulatory non-compliances and deviations from standard operating procedures under the Aircraft (Carriage of Dangerous Goods) Rules, 2026 , particularly in transporting Company Material (COMAT) classified as dangerous goods.

COMAT includes maintenance-related items such as lithium batteries, flammable liquids, compressed gases, aerosols and chemical products , all of which require stringent packaging, documentation, storage and handling before being carried on aircraft.

Following the audit, the regulator directed IndiGo to revamp its dangerous goods training programme by introducing practical exercises and real-life operational scenarios. The airline has also been asked to conduct recurrent training for personnel handling hazardous cargo at Delhi Airport, strengthen its Continuous Competency Assessment (CCA) system and submit an Action Taken Report (ATR) within 30 days.

The warning comes amid the DGCA's broader push to tighten aviation safety oversight. After IndiGo's December 2025 scheduling crisis , which resulted in nearly 4,500 flight cancellations and disrupted travel for over 10 lakh passengers , the regulator adopted stricter surveillance through special audits, surprise inspections and competency assessments. That episode also led to a record regulatory penalty and governance reforms, signalling a shift towards preventive enforcement.

The handling of dangerous goods is among the most rigorously regulated areas in global aviation. India's rules, aligned with the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) standards, mandate strict requirements for classification, UN-approved packaging, labelling, documentation, segregation, loading and emergency response. Even a minor cargo leak can indicate failures in the safety chain and pose risks such as fire, toxic exposure or damage to an aircraft.

In a regulatory filing, InterGlobe Aviation , IndiGo's parent company, said it received the DGCA's communication on July 8 and would comply with the directives. The airline maintained that the warning would have no material impact on its financials or operations and attributed the delay in disclosing the communication to internal reporting delays.

The latest warning highlights the DGCA's growing emphasis on operational discipline, employee competency and proactive safety management , making it clear that compliance with dangerous goods regulations is fundamental to ensuring aviation safety rather than merely fulfilling procedural requirements.