IndiGo CEO to appear before DGCA as flight disruptions continue
What's the story
IndiGo, India's leading airline, continues to face a major operational crisis due to planning failures in implementing new pilot and crew duty norms. The issue has led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across the country. Over 60 flights have been canceled from Bengaluru Airport alone today. On December 10, IndiGo had canceled around 220 flights across three major airports: Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai.
Regulatory action
DGCA summons IndiGo CEO for operational disruption report
In light of the ongoing crisis, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned IndiGo's CEO Pieter Elbers. He has been asked to submit a detailed report by 3:00pm today, with data and updates on the recent operational disruptions. The DGCA has also deployed its personnel at IndiGo's headquarters in Gurugram as part of an oversight team, with two senior captains and two government officials stationed there.
Monitoring measures
DGCA's oversight team to monitor IndiGo's operations
The DGCA's oversight team will be stationed at IndiGo's corporate office in Gurugram. Their job is to keep an eye on cancellation status, crew deployment, unplanned leave, and routes affected by staff shortages. The teams will submit daily reports to the regulator as per an order issued by the aviation watchdog. This move comes after widespread passenger inconvenience due to large-scale disruptions in IndiGo Airlines's operations at various airports across India.
Apology and assistance
IndiGo Chairman addresses flight disruptions, seeks external help
IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta has apologized for the disruptions in a video message on X. He said that the airline's board will examine every aspect of the recent flight disruptions. Mehta attributed these issues to a combination of internal and unanticipated external events, including minor technical glitches, scheduled changes linked to winter season commencement, adverse weather conditions, increased aviation system congestion and implementation of updated crew rostering rules.
Schedule adjustment
IndiGo's revised flight schedule submitted to DGCA
On December 10, IndiGo submitted its revised flight schedule to the DGCA after the government cut its winter schedule by 10%. The move comes as part of efforts to normalize operations amid ongoing disruptions. Despite these measures, the airline continues to face challenges with over 200 flights canceled across multiple airports on December 11 alone.