The Civil Aviation Ministry has ordered senior officers to conduct on-ground inspections at major airports nationwide to review the situation and passenger difficulties arising from the ongoing operational crisis at IndiGo airlines.
Ministry Orders On-Ground Inspections
Amid widespread disruptions at several airports due to the ongoing operational crisis at Indigo, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has directed senior officers to conduct on-ground inspections at major airports across the country.
According to the Ministry, officers at the level of Deputy Secretary, Director and Joint Secretary have been ordered to physically visit key airports within the next day to review the overall situation and assess the difficulties being faced by passengers. The airports placed under this special inspection drive include Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Guwahati, Goa and Thiruvananthapuram.
High-Level Review and Ongoing Monitoring
The Ministry of Civil Aviation and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have been continuously monitoring the situation across all airports in real time since December 3, due to extraordinary circumstances arising from the disruption of IndiGo operations.
According to a statement from Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinarapu's Office, a high-level review meeting comprising all senior officials was held to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the situation. All senior officials of the Ministry have been instructed to visit airports to verify airline operations and passenger-orientated services. Any shortcomings identified, including feedback from passenger interactions, are to be addressed and rectified immediately, the statement said.
Minister Addresses Parliament, DGCA Takes Action
On Monday, 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 Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) 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.
Notably, on December 6, DCGA issued show cause notices to IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer, Pieter Elbers, and its Chief Operating Officer, Isidro Porqueras. (ANI)
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)