IndiGo ordered to reduce flights by 5%
What's the story
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation has ordered IndiGo to reduce its flights by 5%. This comed hours after Union Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu announced plans to reduce IndiGo's winter flight schedule. "We will curtail IndiGo's routes," he said in an interview with Doordarshan. In a notice disclosed on Tuesday, the DGCA asked IndiGo to submit a revised schedule by Wednesday. The airline currently operates 2,200 flights daily, which means 115 flights will be reduced daily.
Cancelations explained
IndiGo's flight cancelations linked to new safety norms
The airline has canceled over 5,000 flights in the past week as it struggled to comply with new safety rules aimed at preventing pilot fatigue. These rules, announced nearly two years ago, required airlines to hire more pilots and increase downtime for existing ones. However, IndiGo's focus on minimizing downtime meant that it did not have enough crew members when the rules came into effect.
Regulatory action
Rules were temporarily relaxed
As a result, the airline faced crew shortages and subsequently canceled hundreds of flights, causing major disruptions for passengers. In light of this situation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation temporarily relaxed these norms last week. The airline said operations will be back to normal by December 10-15. Naidu also revealed that IndiGo has refunded ₹745 crore for 7,30,655 canceled PNRs between December 1 and December 8.
Fare regulation
Government caps airfares amid flight disruptions
Amid the disruptions, the government has also capped airfare for certain routes. One-way fares for journeys up to 500km are capped at ₹7,500 while those between 1,000 and 1,500km should not exceed ₹15,000. Other airlines such as Air India have been asked to increase their flights to accommodate demand from IndiGo's reduction. However, there are concerns that these airlines may not have enough capacity to fully cover the gap due to aircraft shortages.