IndiGo flight cancellations, DGCA FDTL rules: Naidu also said authorities are prioritising bringing back normalcy to civil aviation services and that the Centre is observing the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that triggered the Indigo flight cancellation spree.
IndiGo flight cancellations: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has warned that an inquiry has been launched into the IndiGo flights fiasco and those responsible will “pay for it.” He said the Centre’s inquiry committee will submit its findings on the IndiGo flight disruptions, after which appropriate action will be taken.
“We have formed a committee which will inquire into all this so that they can establish where things went wrong and who did it wrong. We are going to take necessary action on that also. This thing shouldn’t be left unattended. We are taking strict action on this,” Naidu said.
Naidu also said authorities are prioritising bringing back normalcy to civil aviation services and “provide all the support to the passengers”. Naidu added that the Centre is observing the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms that triggered the cancellation spree.
“We are deeply observing this, the FDTL norms, and scheduling network. We will thoroughly look into this and ensure that all airlines follow due diligence,” Naidu said.
The disruption on Friday occurred due to crew shortages triggered by the rollout of the second and final phase of the FDTL norms last month. Following reports of the incident, the government issued an order to keep the rules in abeyance.
Naidu noted that no issues were observed in civil aviation services over the last month, since the new crew rest and duty rules kicked in, and that other airlines, including Air India, SpiceJet and Akasa, had adjusted accordingly. He said the issue in IndiGo was “unanticipated” and snowballed into the current crisis owing to the “mismanagement” of its crew.
The largest domestic airline, accounting for over 60 per cent of domestic passenger traffic, IndiGo operated only 19.7 per cent of its flights on time on Wednesday (December 3), down from 35 per cent on Tuesday and around 50 per cent on Monday.
The disruption has led to chaos at various Indian airports, from Delhi to Chennai to Srinagar. Social media was replete with IndiGo passengers expressing their frustration at long delays and cancellations.
The airline’s CEO Pieter Elbers issued an apology and promised complete restoration of services between December 10 and 15. Elbers anticipated cancellation of less than 1,000 flights on Saturday.
