IndiGo crisis: Widespread flight disruptions at IndiGo continued for the fourth day in a row on Friday after close to 550 flights were cancelled in a single day on Thursday. Operational chaos triggered by a severe shortage of pilots and crews has forced the airline to issue a public apology and brief the aviation regulator.
IndiGo informed the DGCA that it anticipated that normal operations would be restored by February 10. For the time being, the airline is seeking a temporary dispensation from some rules governing pilots’ night duties.
Operational Chaos Continues
The impact of the staff shortage is still being felt with early morning flights on Friday:
Continued Cancellations: Early morning flights from Delhi to Pune were among those cancelled today. A check of IndiGo’s website confirmed that services 6E 2343, 6E 2471 and 6E 6692-all Delhi-Pune routes-were marked as cancelled.
Magnitude of Disruption: The crisis culminated on Thursday with an estimated 550 cancellations nationally, forcing the disruptions into a fourth day.
Regulatory And Government Response
The DGCA and the Ministry of Civil Aviation have stepped in to address the escalating crisis.
DGCA said in a statement: “The disruptions are largely attributed to miscalculations or planning shortfall by the airline during the recent implementation of Phase 2 of the new FDTL rules.” The regulator said this after being briefed by IndiGo officials on Thursday night, adding that the airline accepted that its initial estimates of crew requirements were indeed lower than actual requirements.
Ministerial Intervention: The civil aviation minister, K. Rammohan Naidu called for a high-level meeting and instructed IndiGo to normalize the operations as soon as possible with no increase in airfare.
Government Monitoring: The government has made it clear that “all aspects” of the operational recovery and passenger support of IndiGo “will be closely monitored until full stability is achieved.”
Pilot Associations Blame Management
Pilot associations have sharply criticized the management of IndiGo over the crisis, saying the operational failure was avoidable.
Planning Failure: The Airline Pilots’ Association of India, ALPA, blamed the disruptions on the failure of “proactive resource planning” by the airline. ALPA further insinuated that possibly the crisis was a means to pressure the DGCA into relaxing the new FDTL rules.
Hiring Freeze Alleged: The FIP claimed that IndiGo, despite having a two-year window to prepare for the full implementation of revised flight duty and rest period norms, continued without explanation with an “inexplicable hiring freeze”.
Financial And Operational Outlook
It has immediately taken its toll on the operating performance of the airline and thus on internal morale.
Dip in Stock: The share of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo, has plunged 3.4% on Thursday and has sunk around 6% during the week.
Warning by CEO: The CEO of IndiGo reportedly informed staff that the aim to restore normal operations and achieve punctuality was not going to be an “easy target.”
Scaling Back: The DGCA has noted that IndiGo intends to scale back its operations from December 8 as a pre-emptive measure to limit further disruption.
ALSO READ | Cold Wave & Snowfall Warning: IMD Issues Yellow Alert For Punjab, Jharkhand; Srinagar Hits -4 Degrees Celsius As Himalayas See Fresh Snow
About the Author
