Over 550 IndiGo flights cancelled as disruption continues for third day, airline seeks relief from new provisions
Passengers faced delays as IndiGo struggled with massive staff crunch Photograph: (PTI)
The Civil Aviation Ministry and the regulator DGCA met senior IndiGo officials on Thursday to look into the matter and work on a solution. A government source said IndiGo’s request for relief from the provisions had been received and was under consideration.
Thousands of flyers were stranded on Thursday after over 550 IndiGo flights were cancelled as operational disruptions continued for the third day after the airline failed to make sufficient changes to accommodate new government regulations. IndiGo has told the aviation regulator that its operations will be fully restored by February 10 and has asked for relief from some provisions that limit pilot duty hours at night. The airline cancelled hundreds of flights this week. The airline, which flies around 2,300 flights daily and presents its punctuality as a hallmark, said more flights will be cancelled in the next two-three days. IndiGo is grappling with significant flight disruptions due to several factors, including cabin crew woes and technology issues.
The Civil Aviation Ministry and the regulator DGCA met senior IndiGo officials on Thursday to look into the matter and work on a solution.
A government source said IndiGo’s request for relief from the provisions had been received and was under consideration.
There were around 118 flight cancellations at the Mumbai airport, 100 at Bangalore, 95 at Delhi, 75 at Hyderabad, 35 at Kolkata, 26 at Chennai, 16 at Pune, 11 at Goa, and more at other airports, news agency PTI reported.
The airline has admitted that it misjudged crew requirements under the new norms and faced planning gaps, resulting in inadequate crew availability at a time when weather and congestion were also affecting operations.
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
)
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
CEO blames ‘accumulation’ of several operational challenges
Indigo CEO Pieter Elbers blamed “an accumulation of several operational challenges” for flight disruptions over the past two days. In an email to employees the CEO listed “minor technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion in the aviation ecosystem, and the implementation of the newly released Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms” as the reasons for disruption.
“These past few days have been difficult for many of our IndiGo customers and colleagues. We serve close to 380,000 customers a day and want each of them to have a good experience. We could not live up to that promise these past days and we have publicly apologized for that,” Elbers wrote.
‘Faced tough moments before, turned challenges into triumphs’
“We have faced tough moments before, but we turned challenges into triumphs, proving our resilience, strength, and unity. This moment will be no different,” he added.
“Given the size, scale and complexity of our network, these disruptions grow large immediately and require interventions on multiple levels and dimensions. For that, a lot of work is being conducted right now,” he further explained.
“Our immediate goal is to normalize our operations and bring punctuality back on track in the coming days, which is not an easy target. But this is the time for all of us to come together, prove our mettle once again, and showcase what IndiGo truly stands for,” he said.
Using the recent software update in Airbus planes as an example, the CEO said, “Just a few days ago, we performed remarkably well as a united team to achieve an unimaginable feat of upgrading 200 aircraft (A320s) in less than 24 hours. I am confident we all can deal with this challenge too. Together, as one team, we will overcome this challenge and emerge even stronger.”
