The aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), is now reported to have deployed two special oversight teams at IndiGo’s Gurugram office to closely monitor the operations at the airline.
File Photo: IANS
Amid the ongoing crisis at India’s largest private airline, IndiGo, the aviation regulator has fired four flight inspectors. The officials who have been dismissed were tasked with monitoring safety and operational standards at IndiGo.
It has been reported that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) decided to dismiss the flight inspectors after concluding that they had been negligent in carrying out their inspection and monitoring duties.
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The regulator is now reported to have deployed two special oversight teams at IndiGo’s Gurugram office to closely monitor the operations at the airline.
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The DGCA action has come amid the deepening crisis at the private carrier, which has seen thousands of flight cancellations this month. The crisis has been blamed on poor planning and failure to meet stricter safety norms by the airline in view of the implementation of FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) rules. The cancellations caused hardships to lakhs of passengers who were stranded across the country since the start of this month.
IndiGo crisis: Balancing aviation
Even as it continues to bring the situation under control, the DGCA has once again summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers today.
Meanwhile, the special teams deployed by the regulator will continue to submit daily reports to the DGCA. While one of the teams has been tasked to monitor IndiGo’s fleet strength, pilot availability, crew utilisation hours, training schedules, split-duty patterns, unplanned leave, standby crew, the number of flights affected due to crew shortage, the airline’s average stage length and network, the second team is keeping a watch on the impact of the disruption on passengers. The latter is monitoring the status of refunds from both the airline and travel agents, compensation offered under Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), on-time performance, baggage return, and the overall cancellation status.
The government has already ordered IndiGo to cut down its operations by 10 per cent in order to stabilise the schedules and tackle further disruptions. IndiGo normally operates around 2,200 flights per day, meaning the scheduled cancellations will now impact over 200 flights.
Meanwhile, IndiGo has also declared compensation for travellers who had suffered due to cancellations between December 3 and 5. Eligible passengers are now entitled to receive vouchers worth Rs 10,000.
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