IndiGo Flight Cancellation: Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said the Center would curtail IndiGo’s winter flight schedule after the airline canceled thousands of flights and left thousands of passengers stranded at airports across India over the past eight days.
The massive operational meltdown of the country’s largest airline has prompted a government probe, while aviation watchdog DGCA has promised action against IndiGo.
Here are 10 things you should know about the government’s response to the crash of IndiGo flights.
1. Shortening of the winter schedule
The government will curtail IndiGo’s winter flight schedule and allocate it to other operators, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said in an interview to DD News.
“We will reduce IndiGo’s routes. It currently operates 2,200 flights. We will definitely reduce them,” he said.
According to a report in The Times of India, the furious government plans to hand over 5% of IndiGo’s daily flights to other operators, which is roughly 110 every day. A further reduction of 5% is likely to follow.
Read also | IndiGo News LIVE: Bengaluru airport sees more than 120 flight disruptions
2. Naidu holds a review meeting with senior government officials
In a statement at X on Friday, Naidu said a high-level review meeting was held with all senior officials to have a thorough understanding of the IndiGo flight cancellation situation.
3. Government officials will visit the airport today
“All senior officials of the ministry have been instructed to visit the airport to verify airline operations and passenger-facing services. Any deficiencies identified, including feedback received through passenger interaction, should be immediately addressed and rectified,” Naidu said after a meeting late on Monday.
Officers at the level of Deputy Secretary, Director and Joint Secretary have been ordered to physically visit key airports, according to the ministry
4. DGCA promises strict action against IndiGo
Aviation watchdog DGCA on Monday promised to take enforcement action against IndiGo, shortly after receiving the airline’s response to the notice it had issued earlier. The DGCA said it is in the process of examining the response and enforcement action deemed appropriate will be taken in due course.
5. Inquiry against IndiGo is coming
Speaking to DD News, Ram Mohan Naidu said that the civil aviation ministry has already ordered an inquiry into the IndiGo flight cancellation fiasco. “A detailed investigation will take place in the next 15 days and once we have the result of the investigation, we will discuss the reasons to ensure that similar incidents do not happen in the future,” he said.
Read also | IndiGo ‘profoundly’ sorry for flight cancellation, informs DGCA of reasons
6. Summoned top IndiGo officials
According to a report by India Today, IndiGo’s top executives, including CEO Pieter Elbers, have been summoned to a high-level committee by the DGCA amid IndiGo’s flight cancellations. Management will meet with representatives of the four-member commission on Wednesday.
7. Applicable strict requirements for civil aviation
Naidu noted that strict civil aviation requirements apply to affected passengers. “Airline operators have to follow these requirements. Regarding the software issue, an inquiry has been made. There is continuous technology upgrading in this sector. Our vision from the government is to have the highest global standards for the country’s aviation sector,” he said.
8. 3,000 bags will be delivered to passengers today
Naidu said that 6,000 of the 9,000 luggage of the passengers have already been delivered and the rest of them are expected to be delivered either on Monday evening or Tuesday morning. The minister also said that the replacements cost ₹For 7,30,655 canceled PNRs, 745 million crowns were issued from December 1 to 8 (from 17:00).
Read also | IndiGo management failed to handle operational crisis: Civil Aviation Minister
9. IndiGo shares fall
IndiGo shares continued to be in the red following the flight cancellation fiasco, opening at ₹4,881 apiece on the BSE on Tuesday. IndiGo shares fell as much as 8.7% on Monday.
10. Moody’s downgrades IndiGo
The disruption of InterGlobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo) is “credit negative”, global rating agency Moody’s said. “We have downgraded IndiGo’s human capital issuer category score to 4 out of 3, reflecting the adverse impact of slower hiring on the airline’s operations. Although IndiGo does not have an employee union, its pilots have significant collective bargaining power through the broader pilot associations in India,” the company said.
