IndiGo has come under intense regulatory scrutiny after thousands of flight cancellations disrupted travel plans across the country. With the aviation regulator seeking a detailed explanation, the airline must address crew shortages, safety compliance and service recovery measures in the coming weeks.
DGCA demands data on flight restoration and crew recruitment.
New Delhi: The aviation sector has been abuzz after IndiGo found itself facing widespread criticism for large scale disruptions that left countless travellers stranded. In response, the aviation regulator has extended the deadline for the airline’s chief executive to submit a comprehensive report detailing the causes behind the operational collapse. This one day extension gives the airline limited additional time to prepare its explanation and outline corrective steps.
The regulator has instructed the airline’s chief executive and senior department heads to appear in person for a meeting scheduled for December eleven, twenty twenty four at three in the afternoon. This meeting is expected to cover every critical aspect of the recent disruptions and ensure that the airline provides clarity on its operational planning and safety readiness.
The airline has been asked to present extensive data that includes updates on flight restoration efforts and its recruitment strategy for pilots and crew members. Officials will also need to explain how the airline plans to manage refunds for cancelled flights, the process for returning baggage to affected passengers and the measures introduced to improve communication during disruptions. The regulator has also requested details on re routing options provided to passengers whose flights were cancelled.
In an effort to stabilise operations, the aviation regulator has directed the airline to reduce its winter schedule by five percent on routes that experience heavy demand. This decision is meant to prevent further disturbances and ensure compliance with revised safety norms that airlines are required to follow. IndiGo has been operating more than two thousand two hundred flights each day under the current winter plan for the twenty twenty five to twenty twenty six season.
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The airline, which commands more than sixty five percent of the domestic market, has cancelled over four thousand flights since December two. The ripple effects of these cancellations have caused massive inconvenience, leaving vacation plans ruined and important events such as weddings and business gatherings severely affected. The regulator’s intervention aims to restore order and prevent recurrence of such incidents.
Before issuing the latest directive, the regulator had already sent a show cause notice to the chief executive and chief operating officer demanding an explanation for the breakdown in operations. Additionally, a four member investigation committee has been constituted to identify the root causes and assess whether the airline complied with safety and manpower planning requirements.
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The regulator has highlighted that the airline’s winter schedule shows an increase in departures by over nine percent compared to the previous year. Moreover, the planned rise in capacity for the summer schedule is more than six percent. This sharp expansion has raised questions about whether the airline possessed sufficient crew and resources to support such growth while adhering to newer safety regulations. The upcoming meeting is expected to examine this gap closely.
With the regulator demanding accountability and swift corrective action, the coming weeks will be crucial for IndiGo. The airline will need to restore passenger confidence by improving operational readiness, strengthening its workforce and ensuring smoother coordination during periods of high traffic. The findings from the ongoing probe will play a key role in shaping the airline’s path forward.
