India's aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) removed four flight inspection officers in connection with the crackdown following the massive flight disruptions at IndiGo. These were the officers who oversaw safety and operational compliance of the crisis-hit IndiGo.
Reports suggest that the action was taken due to negligence in the inspection and monitoring of the airline. IndiGo flights faced major disruptions, including cancellations and delays, due to the airline’s poor planning to meet the government’s strict new rules.
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Cancellation of thousands of flights
Due to the mismanagement, IndiGo had to cancel thousands of flights in November, which peaked in December first week. This has left tens of thousands of passengers stranded across the country. The emotional trauma that they went through has also added to the IndiGo chaos. The airline has stated on Tuesday that its operations have stabilised and are back to normal levels.
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DGCA teams at Airports
The DGCA has sent two teams to IndiGo’s office in Gurugram to monitor operations such as how crews are used and how refunds are handled. These teams must send a report to the regulator every day by 6 p.m.
The first team is checking details like the number of aircraft, the number of pilots, how many hours crews are working, crews still in training, split-duty schedules, unplanned leave, standby crew, the number of daily flights, and how many flights were affected because of crew shortages. It will also track the average distance flown in each flight and review the airline’s network to understand the full situation.
Civil Aviation Ministry on flight disruptions
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, while announcing the decision on Tuesday, said many passengers faced "severe inconvenience due to IndiGo's internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication".
"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding by it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," he posted on X after meeting the airline's CEO, Pieter Elbers.