'IndiGo’s new fleet: no delays, no diversions….':  Harsh Goenka shares hilarious post on Viral ‘IndiGo autorickshaw’ clip

RPG Group Chairman Harsh Goenka on Wednesday shared a viral clip on X, writing, “IndiGo’s new fleet: no delays, no diversions… and very reasonable.” His tongue-in-cheek post added to the flood of jokes online as IndiGo continues to face heat over large-scale flight cancellations across the country.

The humour picked up after an AI-generated video of an “IndiGo autorickshaw” began circulating online. The clip, posted by content creator Shailendra Singh, shows him riding an auto designed to look like an IndiGo plane, complete with the airline’s blue-and-white colours, small wings and a tail. Towards the end, the auto even appears to “take off” and fly into the sky, leaving viewers amused and contributing to the meme wave.

 

 

 

 

 

 

But while social media continues to poke fun, IndiGo is still grappling with operational challenges. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday that it has deployed a special team to IndiGo’s corporate office to monitor the airline’s functioning, as passengers nationwide face disruptions caused by widespread cancellations and delays.

The DGCA team will review several aspects of IndiGo’s operations, including its total fleet, average flight distance, pilot strength, network planning and crew duty hours. They will also check daily and monthly “dead-heading” duties, crew training processes, split duties, and unplanned leaves—such as sick, casual or emergency leave. The assessment will cover flights operated per day, crew availability, sectors impacted due to shortages and standby crew levels across all bases for both cockpit and cabin staff.

Additionally, the DGCA will monitor cancellation data for domestic and international flights, refund timelines issued directly by the airline or via travel agents, on-time performance, compensation provided under aviation rules and the status of baggage delivery.

Earlier, the regulator summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to its office on Thursday afternoon. He is required to submit a detailed report containing data and updates on the disruptions. IndiGo must also provide information on its plans to restore normal flight operations, recruitment plans for pilots and crew, current manpower availability, total cancellations and refund processing.

The CEO and senior officials from all key departments have been instructed to attend the meeting. The DGCA has further set up a panel to examine IndiGo’s manpower planning, crew roster changes and readiness to comply with the revised duty and rest norms for pilots.