IndiGo crisis: Govt awaits inquiry report, will take corrective action

The government has ordered a 15-day inquiry into the IndiGo operational crisis and issued a show-cause notice to its management. Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said corrective actions will be taken to prevent future disruptions.

The government is waiting for the inquiry report into the IndiGo operational crisis and flight cancellations and will look into the reasons and take necessary corrective actions to prevent recurrence of such disruptions, which caused difficulties for passengers, Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha has said. In an interview with ANI at Delhi airport, Sinha said a detailed inquiry will be held in the next 15 days. "We have already ordered an inquiry. A detailed inquiry is going to take place in the next 15 days or so, and once the outcome of the inquiry is there with us, then we will go into the reasons for that, so that these kinds of occurrences do not happen in the future. In the meantime, the senior management of IndiGo has also been show caused. We will wait for the inquiry report and thereafter take corrective actions," he said.

Operations Returning to Normal

"Things are almost back to normal. IndiGo has flown more than 1,800 flights today, which is almost normal. All the other airlines, like Akasa, Air India Express, Air India, Spicejet have flown their full capacity. We just saw that 90% of the baggage has already arrived. The airlines have been sending baggage to their respective passengers' addresses. I feel that within the next 24 hours or so, the luggage will be there at the passenger's given address. We issued an order, and we also coordinated with IndiGo, and I think all 100% refunds have already been completed," he added.

Govt Caps Airfares

The senior official said that the government has put fare caps. "Airfare has been capped at Rs 18,000. It starts from Rs 7500 for up to 500 kilometres, and beyond 1500 kilometres, it is Rs 18000."

IndiGo Seeks More Time for Response

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Monday that IndiGo Airlines has requested more time to respond to the Show Cause notice, stating that it is "realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact cause(s)" at this time, considering the "complexity and vast scale of operations."

Internal Crew Rostering Blamed for Crisis

Earlier today, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu told Rajya Sabha that the problems faced by IndiGo airlines passengers were linked to the airline's internal crew rostering and operational planning, and not the Aircraft Maintenance and Scheduling System (AMSS). He added that thorough consultations have been held with all stakeholders concerning Flight Time Limitations (FTTL) guidelines, and emphasised that there will be no compromise on safety. He said stringent Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) exist to protect passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations. "For all passengers who have faced difficulties due to delays and cancellations, strict Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) are in place. Airline operators have to follow these requirements. Regarding the software issue, an inquiry has been made. Continuous technology upgradation happens in this sector. Our vision from the government is to have top global standards for the aviation sector in the country," he said. (ANI)

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)