Even today, many passengers in flights are unknowingly or carelessly repeating the same mistakes which can lead to incidents like fire, smoke or short circuit during flight. This reason is none other than the power bank found in everyone’s luggage. Do you know that it is prohibited to use a power bank or charge a mobile phone during a flight?

It has been seen at many airports in the country that even today, passengers are being careless about power banks in flights even though its rules were decided only in November 2025. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation i.e. DGCA had clearly said at that time that power banks and lithium battery devices can become a big threat to the safety inside the aircraft.

What rules did DGCA tell in November?

According to the circular issued by DGCA in November, lithium batteries used in mobiles, laptops, tablets and power banks are of high energy content and can catch fire in case of overheating, poor quality or short circuit. The danger increases especially when the power bank is kept in the check-in bag or overhead bin because it is not possible to keep an eye on it immediately.

As per rules, passengers can carry power banks and spare lithium batteries only in hand baggage. Keeping it in the check-in bag is completely prohibited, but passengers are often seen making mistakes in this regard. DGCA has also clarified that keeping the power bank in the overhead bin should be avoided and it should be kept at a place where the passenger can keep an eye on it himself. Its purpose is that in case of any kind of irregularity, immediate action can be taken.

What to do if smoke comes out of power bank?

It is also clearly written in the DGCA circular that it is prohibited to use a power bank or charge a mobile phone during a flight. Despite this, many passengers are seen charging their mobile phones during flight, which is a violation of rules and also dangerous from security point of view. If excessive heat is felt, smoke comes out or strange smell comes from the power bank or any device, then passengers should immediately inform the cabin crew about it.

To prevent short circuit, DGCA has advised passengers to always keep the power bank in a protective cover or case. The terminals of the battery should not be open so that spark does not occur due to contact with metal or any other reason, a small precaution can avoid a big accident.

What instructions were given to the airlines?

In the same circular of November, airlines and airport operators were also instructed to continuously make passengers aware of these rules. Information was asked to be given through announcements, posters, videos and digital screens at the airport and inside the aircraft. Apart from this, it has also been said that it is necessary to provide training to the cabin crew to deal with fire or emergency situations related to lithium batteries.

Overall, carrying a power bank in a flight is not a new issue. DGCA had clarified the rules in November 2025 itself. It is important that passengers take these rules seriously and avoid repeating mistakes because even a small carelessness related to the power bank can become a big threat to the safety of the entire aircraft and all the passengers on board.

An Air India pilot has been detained in a drunken state at Vancouver Airport in Canada. An Air India pilot flying Vancouver-Delhi (via Vienna) on December 23, 2025 found it difficult to celebrate. The pilot has been detained after smell of alcohol coming from his mouth.

According to media reports, an employee of a duty free store in Vancouver saw the pilot drinking alcohol. It has been claimed that while buying a bottle of liquor, the smell of liquor was coming from the pilot’s mouth. The employee immediately informed Canadian authorities about the pilot. Before the flight, officials at the Canada airport raised objections about the fitness of the pilot. During the investigation, doubts were raised about the pilot’s behavior, after which he was isolated for further questioning.

DGCA is investigating the matter
Air India has adopted a tough stance in this matter. The pilot was brought to Delhi after a few days and is being interrogated. Information about this matter has been given to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is investigating it. According to Air India sources, they are fully cooperating with Canadian authorities in this matter. The pilot concerned has been removed from flying duty until the investigation is completed.

Sources say that the pilot had unknowingly consumed alcohol at the airport and an employee of the duty free shop had seen him doing so. Others say that when they bought the bottle, it smelled of alcohol. However, it is not yet clear what actually happened. The employee reported the matter to Canadian authorities, who used CCTV footage to determine that the pilot in question was scheduled to take off. They managed to track him on an Air India flight.

read this also

Happy New Year 2026: ‘This year is for everyone…’, PM Modi sent New Year message to the countrymen, know what Rahul wrote

‘Ikkis Unka Salaam Hai’, Sunny Deol paid tribute to father Dharmendra, said – this is a gift for the film fans

The high level committee of DGCA formed on Indigo case has submitted its report to the government. This committee was entrusted with the responsibility of investigating the operational irregularities in Indigo Airlines on 5 December 2025. DGCA had formed a 4-member special committee to investigate, which included Sanjay K. Brahmane- Joint Director General, Amit Gupta- Deputy Director General, Captain Kapil Manglik (SFOI), Captain Lokesh Rampal (FOI).

The report has been kept confidential for now

According to sources, the committee has prepared the report and now it has been submitted to the Civil Aviation Ministry. At present the report has been kept confidential. The committee was given time till 26 December 2025 to submit its report. It was also asked to investigate under what circumstances such a large number of flights were affected and what was the real reason for this.

This report has been given to the committee mainly on these questions

1. Why were such a large number of flights canceled and delayed?

2. Was the airline’s planning and manpower management weak?

3. Was there negligence in implementing the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL)?

4. Did IndiGo not do crew planning and roster management in time?

5. Were the DGCA instructions followed properly or not?

6. Who bears responsibility for operational failure?

Lakhs of passengers faced difficulties due to Indigo crisis

India’s largest airline IndiGo was stuck in a huge scheduling crisis in December 2025, due to which thousands of flights were cancelled. Due to this, lakhs of passengers were stuck at different airports across the country and there was chaos. Indigo has more than 60 percent stake in domestic airlines, due to which it has a big impact on air travel.

After the IndiGo crisis continued for several days in December, the government’s policy regarding flights came under question. Congress alleged that people had to face problems due to the monopoly policy of the government. Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Nayud had said that the government is committed to a strong ecosystem in the aviation sector.

aviation regulator DGCA by Condition hee In happened indigo crisis To taking company Of ceo peter albers To Friday (12 December 2025) To Then From present to be Of For Said Is, He flight delay To taking inquiry to be Is, peter albergue Thursday (11 December 2025) Test committee Of appeared before Were, citizen Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that indigo Of recent India needs to deal with operational crisis problems in future. Less From Less Five airlines of Immediately Need Is, in which From Everyone Of Near About 100 plane be,

‘It is my responsibility to take care of the passengers’

aviation minister by Said That indigo fierce within mismanagement Due to this, thousands of passengers were left stranded and an atmosphere of chaos was created. India today While talking to he said that indigo You are responsible for the collapse of your network. He said, ,This is me and indigo There is no fight between. From this They people who have been affected by these Airlines Are dependent on and want to travel from one place to another in the country. It is also my responsibility to take care of them.,

DGCA by Refund To taking Supervision Start of

DGCA officials of On Thursday (11 December 2025) for the purpose of increasing surveillance. airline Of headquarters From indigo In operation of, Refund And started monitoring other processes. aviation regulator According to the order issued by DGCA Two officials of the office, a senior statistics officer and a deputy director indigo Of corporate Will be deployed in the office so that in the event of cancellation of domestic and international flights, RefundTo monitor compensation to passengers and return of baggage as per civil aviation requirements.

indigo Delhi on crisis High Court expressed Worry

Delhi High Court by indigo deep resentment over the crisis and Worry Expressed. High Court He himself took cognizance of this matter and said that lakhs of passengers were stranded at the airport for several hours. This situation is not only a problem for the passengers, but also has a negative impact on the economy of the entire country. The court clearly said that in today’s time, it is very important for air travel to run fast and smoothly, because it is the backbone of the economy.

Indigo offered travel vouchers to affected passengers

country’s largest airline indigo On Thursday (11 December 2025), a travel gift of Rs 10,000 was given to those customers. voucher Announced to give, whose travel was affected by the cancellation of a large number of flights. indigo “We are providing travel compensation of Rs 10,000 to such seriously affected customers,” a spokesperson of the company said in a statement. voucher Will provide. this journey voucher Use during the next 12 months indigo Can be done for any journey.” (with input agency)

Recognizing the problems faced by thousands of its passengers, Indigo has recently taken a big decision. The company has announced that passengers whose journeys were severely affected during the operational glitches in early December will be given a travel voucher of Rs 10,000. This voucher can be used in any travel booking for an entire year.

The airline admitted that on December 3, 4 and 5, many passengers had to wait for hours at the airport, with many missing their connecting flights and essential journeys. The company said that this was a difficult time for them and Indigo takes responsibility for the trouble caused to the passengers.

What will you get if your flight is canceled within 24 hours?

According to the current civil aviation rules of the government, if an airline’s flight is canceled within 24 hours of its scheduled time, then it is mandatory for that airline to compensate the passengers. According to this rule, passengers will get a separate compensation of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 depending on the flight distance and travel time. In this way some passengers can get a total benefit of up to Rs 20,000.

Refund process faster

Indigo said that most of the refunds of the passengers whose flights were canceled have been processed and the remaining cases will also be resolved soon. If the ticket has been booked through any travel agency, online platform or app, then its refund has also been issued or is in the process. Passengers who are unable to check the status of their refund can directly contact via email – customer.experience@goindigo.in

Why is a voucher of Rs 10,000 being given? Indigo’s statement

The airline admitted that due to operational irregularities, the experience of many passengers was very poor. Many people remained stranded at the airport overnight. Standing in queues for hours. His further journey also got spoiled. For this reason, IndiGo has decided to give a voucher worth Rs 10,000 to the most affected passengers, so that they can avail the benefit in their future journey. The company says that we are taking every possible step to make our services reliable and stable again. Passengers’ trust is of utmost importance and we appreciate their patience.

Also read: Debate in the House on Vande Mataram, JP Nadda said – ‘We do not want to defame Nehru… We have to give respect to the national anthem’

At first glance, DGCA’s order to IndiGo to reduce flights by ten percent may appear to be a harsh action. It seemed as if the government had put a lot of pressure on the airline. Flights will decrease, earnings will decrease and IndiGo will suffer a huge blow, but if we look at the internal situation, the story is completely different.

The most interesting thing related to Indigo is that the airline suffered almost no real loss due to this order. For the past several months, IndiGo was facing an acute shortage of pilots and cabin crew. Although on paper there appeared to be many flights, the reality was that a large number of flights were being canceled every day due to non-availability of crew. In the last week alone, more than five thousand flights had been cancelled, meaning that the services offered were not running.

DGCA’s order and Indigo’s problems combine

DGCA directed that the airline reduce its flights by ten percent, but the flights that IndiGo removed from the list were those which it was already unable to operate due to shortage of staff. The result was that even after the order, there was no significant difference in the operations. The flights are running as usual, the loss is negligible and the airline has made the matter easier by giving it the appearance of following the rules.

Has the strict action on the airline been postponed?

The buzz in the market is that more stringent action could have been taken against Indigo. Some experts believe that in view of the continuous cancellation of flights and ignoring of FDTL rules, heavy penalty or strict action related to license was expected, but at present the order of only ten percent reduction seems to end the matter. Now all eyes are on whether DGCA will take any further inspection or punitive action or not.

Indigo got indirect relief from the order

It is believed that at present this instruction will not have any serious economic impact on Indigo. Rather, the directive has become a way for the airline to cover up the problem it has been facing for a long time—the shortage of pilots and crew. Now she can claim this reduction as a government order and show that the reduction in flights was her compulsion, not her lack.

Also read: Karnataka Cybercriminals: Big revelation of cyber crime in Karnataka! Digital fraud worth Rs 5,474 crore in three years

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is now in the court docket on allegations of not implementing safety rules regarding pilot fatigue. Delhi High Court can hear the contempt petition of Federation of Indian Pilots on 15 December. In the petition, DGCA has been seriously accused of deliberately disobeying the clear and binding orders of the court.

Claim of Federation of Indian Pilots FDTL rules not implemented

The Federation of Indian Pilots claims that non-proper implementation of flight and duty time limitation rules has directly affected the safety of passengers. According to the pilots organization, this negligence became the main reason for the aviation crisis that has been going on for the past one week, due to which big airlines like IndiGo had to face operational crisis and thousands of flights across the country were canceled or delayed.

Federation of Indian Pilots DGCA accused of

In the petition filed in the Delhi High Court, it has been said that the DGCA had assured the High Court this year that the Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) 2024 would be implemented on time, but on the contrary, the airlines were given the freedom to relax the rules and extend the time. All this was done without the permission of the court, whereas it was promised that the rules would be fully implemented by November 1. FIP alleged that the FDTL framework prepared by the airlines does not match the standards on which the DGCA had agreed before the High Court in April 2025. This has been described as a direct disobedience of the court’s orders.

Pilots and crew present in sufficient numbers – Pilot Organization

The pilot organization has also completely rejected the claim of shortage of pilots in the Delhi High Court. It has been said in the petition that there are sufficient number of pilots and crew present in the sector, but the airlines are not putting them on duty at full capacity. Despite pilots being available for regular roster duties, they are being placed on flexible contracts with limited flying hours. During the hearing held last month, the High Court had allowed FIP to file additional documents and made it clear that if the orders are not followed, strict action can be taken for contempt.

Delhi High Court car Orders were given even before implementation of 2024

The Delhi High Court had earlier cleared the way for the implementation of CAR 2024 by disposing of the petitions of pilot organizations and directed the airlines to submit their FDTL plans to the DGCA within three weeks. The court had clearly said that ignoring the rules will not be accepted in future. The government had assured the court that the new FDTL rules would be implemented in a phased manner. At the same time, 15 provisions will be implemented from July 1, 2025 and the remaining 7 provisions will be implemented from November 1, 2025. Now DGCA will have to answer before the court on the implementation of these promises and orders.

Also read: Government’s big decision regarding Indigo, 10 percent reduction in flights, in front of whom did the CEO fold hands?

In the Lok Sabha, Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said that IndiGo’s flight services are being restored rapidly. He told that the airline had suddenly increased the number of its flights, which caused disruption. The minister made it clear that responsibility for this negligence will be fixed.
Why did the problem occur? The government gave the reason
In response to a question asked in the Rajya Sabha, the Minister said that this situation has happened due to shortcomings in the internal operating system of IndiGo, especially the crew rostering system and planning. He said that the changes in the rules were already in effect and the airlines were aware of it. A meeting was also held with IndiGo on this issue on 1st December, but they did not mention any problem. After the review meeting held on Monday night, the Union Minister said that the situation is serious, hence the Ministry and DGCA are continuously monitoring.

180 flights canceled from Bengaluru and Hyderabad
Disruption in IndiGo flights continued for the eighth day. About 180 flights from Bengaluru and Hyderabad were canceled on Tuesday.

Decision to cut winter program
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu said that the government will cut IndiGo’s winter flight schedules and they will be allocated to other operators. He said that Indigo is currently operating around 2,200 flights per day, which will definitely be reduced.

Paying huge amount for canceled flights
The minister said that Rs 745 crore has been given to the passengers for 7,30,655 PNRs canceled from December 1 to 8. Apart from this, out of 9,000 passenger bags, 6,000 bags have been returned and the remaining bags will be received by the customers by Tuesday morning.

DGCA orders 5% reduction in flights
Aviation safety regulator DGCA on Tuesday said IndiGo’s flight services have been reduced by 5 percent following massive disruptions. There have been cuts across all sectors, especially on high demand routes. DGCA has also directed IndiGo to submit the new revised schedule by 5 pm on Wednesday.

indigo Regarding the crisis, the company contacted the Director General of Civil aviation ,DGCA) tell the reason for notice Of monday (8 December 2025) To answer Gave Is, notice In indigo From Asked Went Was That Your with link action Why No Let it be done. The government has already said that indigo Of ceo, COO The responsibility was not discharged well and the answer Satisfied No to be But DGCA link action Will do.

Indigo sent reply to DGCA

IndiGo In its reply to DGCA, it said that So much Big Problem It would be difficult to tell the real reason right now. Indigo said, “DGCA rules give 15 days time to prepare the complete report. The complete report will be given to DGCA as soon as it is ready. IndiGo also said that they already DGCA with these new FDTL “We were discussing the rules because it was causing problems with crew scheduling.”

‘DGCA Of rules Helped passengers as per ‘

indigo Of Claim is that They passengers To Time But Notification send, Eat, hotel And local transport As Provision DGCA Of rules Given accordingly. most passengers Refund Quick process Were done. According to sources, Aviation Ministry officials and DGCA will meet and interrogate IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers on Tuesday (9 December 2025) at 11 am. After this, Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu will give a statement in the Lok Sabha on December 9 at 12 noon.

This committee will investigate the Indigo case

A four-member committee comprising Joint Director General Sanjay Brahmane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector (FOI) Kapil Manglik and FOI Lokesh Rampal has been tasked with finding out the root causes of the widespread disruptions in IndiGo flight operations. Its mandate includes reviewing the airline’s preparedness to implement pilot duty and rest rules, staffing planning and the changing roster system.

IndiGo is operating more than 1800 aircraft today. On December 7, 1650 flights were operated. To help stranded passengers between 1st and 7th December 2025 Indigo by 9,500 Provided more than 100 hotel rooms. Booked around 10,000 cabs and buses. 4,500 More than 100 bags have been delivered to the passengers.