IndiGo may also ask for resignations or remove senior staff members who are believed to be responsible for the massive disruptions.
IndiGo may have its flight schedule cut by 5 per cent, which means about 110 daily flights could be given to other airlines that are able to handle more routes. According to sources at TOI, the government is extremely upset and is considering reducing IndiGo’s schedule further, first by 5 per cent, and then another 5 per cent if needed. Other actions are also being examined after the large number of cancellations caused major travel problems.
In its reply to the DGCA’s show-cause notice, a “profusely apologetic” IndiGo said that five different issues, including the new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules and changes related to the winter schedule together led to the huge disruptions.
The airline added that because its operations are so large, it is “realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact cause(s)” in the short time given. IndiGo has asked for more time to carry out a full “root-cause analysis,” saying the DGCA manual allows up to 15 days to respond.
Govt to cut IndiGo’s winter schedule
Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said that the government will reduce IndiGo’s winter flight schedule and give those slots to other airlines. This decision comes after IndiGo faced major operational problems in recent days. Speaking to Doordarshan, Naidu said, “We will curtail IndiGo’s routes. They are currently operating 2,200 flights. We will definitely curtail them.”
The minister also said that Rs. 745 crore has already been refunded for 7,30,655 cancelled PNRs between December 1 and 8 (till 5 pm).
He added that out of 9,000 delayed or misplaced bags, 6,000 have been returned to passengers, and the rest will be delivered by Tuesday morning.
DGCA may cut IndiGo’s operations to give space to other airlines
The aviation ministry said that the DGCA is studying IndiGo’s reply, which was submitted on Monday at 6.01 pm by CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras, who is also the accountable manager. The ministry added that enforcement action will be taken once the review is complete.
With passengers angry and heavily criticising aviation authorities, it is still unclear whether IndiGo will be allowed more time to respond. The DGCA is now considering reducing IndiGo’s flights based on its available crew and giving the freed-up slots to other airlines that have enough staff and resources.
Along with a large financial penalty, the airline’s top executives approved by the DGCA, including the COO, could also face action.
IndiGo may also ask for resignations or remove senior staff members who are believed to be responsible for the massive disruptions. The airline has said that the chaos happened because of a “compounding effect of multiple factors which coincided in lesser or greater measure” in what it called an “unfortunate and unforeseeable confluence.”
IndiGo share price trend
Data shows that IndiGo’s share price has dropped sharply, falling 15.33% over the last five trading days (from December 2 to December 8). On Monday alone, the stock slipped 8.62% and closed at Rs. 4,907.50 per share on the NSE.
