India's largest airline, IndiGo, is grappling with an ongoing crisis for the eighth consecutive day, with approximately 500 flights canceled nationwide today. In the past week, the cancellation of over 4,500 flights has significantly inconvenienced passengers. Despite claims by IndiGo to the contrary, the situation remains far from normal.
At Delhi's IGI Airport, numerous passengers are still waiting for their flights, having been stranded for several hours. This crisis began following changes in pilots' flight duties and regulations. Today, 38 flights have been canceled from Shamshabad Airport, leaving passengers visibly distressed.
Earlier on Monday, over 250 flights were canceled from Delhi and Bengaluru Airports, with 26 flights canceled from Lucknow Airport on the same day. However, the number of cancellations has slightly decreased over the past four days.
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- Today, 152 planned flights of IndiGo were canceled at Delhi's IGI Airport, including 76 departures and 76 arrivals.
- To oversee the conditions at airports, the Aviation Ministry has dispatched 10 officials to various airports. These officers will remain on-site for the next 2-3 days to monitor any measures taken to assist passengers.
- The number of arrival cancellations at Chennai Airport was 42 today, while departure cancellations stood at 39.
- Hyderabad Airport experienced 14 arrival cancellations and 44 departure cancellations today.
- This footage is from Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport in Ahmedabad, where passengers are troubled due to disruptions and cancellations of IndiGo flights.
- Sources indicate that the Ministry of Civil Aviation will convene a meeting with all airline operators today. Yesterday, Ram Mohan Naidu held a high-level meeting with the ministry's top officials. Today, top executives of all airline operators have been summoned to Rajiv Bhavan for a review meeting.
- The primary focus of this meeting is to prevent any recurrence of situations akin to the Indigo fiasco. The review will meticulously examine IndiGo's operations, passenger load, care for passengers, and refund processes. Discussions will also cover how Indigo will restore full operational strength. Updates on the implementation of airfare capping may be addressed in this meeting. Any concerns or suggestions from airline operators will also be considered at Rajiv Bhavan.
Government to Take Stern Measures
Meanwhile, the government has taken a firm stance. Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu announced on Monday that the government will curtail IndiGo's winter flight schedule and reallocate its slots to other operators. He asserted, "We will cut the routes of IndiGo. They are currently operating 2,200 flights. We will certainly reduce that number."
Naidu also revealed that refunds amounting to 745 crore rupees have so far been issued for the 730,655 PNRs canceled between December 1 and 8 (up to 5 PM). Moreover, out of 9,000 mishandled passenger bags, 6,000 have been delivered, with the remaining to be distributed by tonight or Tuesday morning.
IndiGo Apologizes, DGCA to Take Action
On Monday, aviation security regulator DGCA reported receiving responses from IndiGo's CEO Pieter Elbers and accountable manager Isidoro Porqueras to a show cause notice. IndiGo expressed "deep regret" and apologized for the inconvenience caused to customers. The DGCA is now reviewing the response and will proceed with enforcement action if deemed necessary.
