India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors on December 11-12, 2025, holding them accountable for failing to ensure IndiGo’s compliance during a massive operational meltdown that began December 1, stranding lakhs of passengers with over 2,000 flights cancelled nationwide by December 9—peaking at 562 on December 8, including 54 from Bengaluru on December 12 alone. DGCA teams now monitor operations at IndiGo’s Gurugram headquarters, while CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras faced the inquiry panel twice by December 12 after show-cause notices. From an Indian strategic lens, this exposes aviation vulnerabilities critical for national security, troop mobility, and economic connectivity, demanding stricter regulatory enforcement to safeguard reliability amid rising air travel dependence.