IndiGo flight disruptions persist, Aviation Minister says crisis stems from airline’s own lapses
New Delhi, Dec 8: India’s largest private airline, IndiGo, continued to face major disruptions on Monday, with operations still not back…
New Delhi, Dec 8: India’s largest private airline, IndiGo, continued to face major disruptions on Monday, with operations still not back on track. According to reports, more than 500 flights have been cancelled so far from airports in Delhi, Srinagar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Ahmedabad.
On Sunday, the airline had cancelled over 650 flights. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has maintained that the situation is improving each day and has assured that operations will return to normal by December 10. The matter is also scheduled for hearing in the Supreme Court on the same day.
The IndiGo crisis echoed in the Rajya Sabha on Monday, where Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu responded to questions related to the disruptions. He made it clear that the problems unfolding within IndiGo were not caused by the government.
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The minister stated that the ongoing issues were an operational lapse created by the airline itself. He informed the Rajya Sabha that the ministry has been in continuous touch with IndiGo.
He added that in a meeting held on November 1, every query raised by the airline regarding the new pilot duty regulations was answered clearly by the ministry.
He asserted that IndiGo failed to manage its roster properly, and the fault lies squarely within the airline’s internal system. Minister Naidu further informed the House that the government has ordered an inquiry into IndiGo’s operational errors to ensure such situations do not arise in the future. “We are not taking this lightly. We will take action that will set an example for others,” he said.
The minister added that the government aims to set standards not just for IndiGo but for the entire aviation sector. He explained that the new pilot duty rules came into effect on November 1, as per Delhi High Court directions, and all airlines were required to follow them.
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He emphasised that the government is serious about the safety of pilots and the overall aviation ecosystem, and all airlines must comply with the rules.
