As IndiGo continues to struggle with its operational crisis as large scale flight cancellations entered sixth day on Sunday. The budget carrier, InterGlobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo), cancelled over 220 flights at Delhi and Mumbai airports on 7 December.
Following hundreds of flight cancellations and delays in the last five days in a row, sources informed PTI about latest flight disruptions on Sunday.
IndiGo flight cancellations today
Mumbai airport — 112 flights cancelled
Delhi airport — 112 flights cancelled
Details about flight cancellations from Kolkata, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Ahmedabad airport have not been revealed yet.
A total of 112 flights, including scheduled departures and arrivals, were cancelled from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport of Mumbai, PTI report published at 12:05 PM said. Meanwhile, nearly 109 incoming and outgoing flights were cancelled from Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport.
This marks marked improvement in airline's operation after Friday's massive cancellations totalling up to 1,600 of its 2,300 daily flights. On Saturday, around 800 cancellations were reported.
Bengaluru airport — 124 flights cancelled (63 departures and 61 arrivals)
Mumbai airport — 109 flights cancelled (51 departures and 58 arrivals)
Delhi airport — 106 flights cancelled (54 departures and 52 arrivals)
Hyderabad airport — 66 flights cancelled
The aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO and Accountable Manager Porqueras on Saturday. It sought a response within 24 hours, explaining the massive flight disruptions and lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.
Issuing a clarification over the fiasco, IndiGo in a statement said, “The main objective (of operating just 700 flights on Friday) was to reboot the network, systems, and rosters so that we could start afresh today (Saturday) with higher number of flights, improved stability, and there are some early signs of improvement.”
According to the regulator's notice, the primary cause of the flight disruptions is non-provisioning of adequate arrangements that must have aligned with the revised requirements for smooth implementation of the approved FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) scheme for the airline.
To review the situation and address the concerning issue, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu convened a "serious meeting" with Elbers and senior civil aviation ministry officials.
A four-member inquiry panel was constituted by the DGCA to investigate the matter and recommend mitigation measures. The panel comprises Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane and Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal at the DGCA. The committee will work on recommendations and submit its findings to the DGCA within 15 days.
Airfares skyrocketed after the large-scale cancellations which prompted intervention from authorities to cap flight ticket costs and ensure complete ticket refund for cancelled or delayed flights to all passengers by 8 pm on Sunday.
