IndiGo offers ₹164cr compensation for flight cancellations in December
What's the story
IndiGo has compensated passengers affected by its mass flight cancellations in early December with ₹163.92 crore worth of travel coupons. Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha about this development today. The government is taking steps to prevent such incidents from happening again and ensure consumer protection, Naidu said during the session.
Flight disruptions
Why was there a massive flight disruption?
In early December, hundreds of IndiGo flights were canceled due to a pilot shortage after the deadline for Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) expired. The government blamed the airline's inadequate planning in implementing the second phase of FDTL norms as a major reason for these disruptions. It had also given a one-time exemption from enforcement of these norms to avoid further issues.
Crisis management
Steps being taken to prevent recurrence of such situation
Responding to questions about the IndiGo crisis, Naidu said the ministry is taking several measures to prevent such situations from recurring. He revealed that a total of 3,64,000 customers were affected by the cancellations and ₹43.81 crore has already been disbursed as compensation after validation. "More than that, the Ministry was also in continuous engagement with the airlines that... ₹10,000 of coupons or travel coupons was also being extended," Naidu added.
Regulatory oversight
DGCA in constant touch with IndiGo, says Naidu
Naidu said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has been in constant touch with IndiGo over the incident. He emphasized that it was up to airlines to manage their internal operations and adjust crew rostering according to new FDTL norms. "This was a specific instance where there were new FDTL norms that have come into place and it was the airlines which had to look into its internal operations," he said.
Steps
IndiGo hiring more pilots
Naidu said the ministry is consulting with airlines on a daily basis before implementing new norms. He also revealed that after this incident, they have recommended IndiGo to hire more pilots. Naidu further claimed that IndiGo hired over 246 pilots in the last three months.