IndiGo, the country’s biggest airline, is under scrutiny for a mass cancellation of flights. In such a situation, questions keep arising about whether the recent crisis was the result of a deliberate conspiracy by the airline. Did IndiGo plan disruptions to mount pressure on the Ministry of Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) regarding the new Flight Duty Time Limitations rules?
Amid mass flight cancellations, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers initially issued a formal video apology to all passengers. Later, Airline Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta apologised for the operational crisis and dismissed all allegations. However, some shocking facts emerged during the investigation.
Investigation exposes shocking details
According to reports, all airlines were given sufficient time to comply with the new FDTL rules. IndiGo was aware of the November 1 rollout and did not flag any trouble regarding compliance with the revised rules during a meeting with the civil aviation regulator on December 1.
“On December 1, we held a meeting with IndiGo regarding FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) when they sought clarifications, and we provided them. They did not flag any issues then, and everything was running normally,” Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu had told Rajya Sabha on Monday. He blamed IndiGo for gross mismanagement and noted that the airline has not hired any new pilots for the past six months.
IndiGo management lapse
IndiGo already knew that the duty rosters would become strict following the new FDTL regulations, but overlooked crew availability and hiring. This management lapse exacerbated the pilot shortage, directly impacting flight operations.
Passengers not informed on time, left stranded at airport
Another aspect is why passengers were not informed in advance, and delays and cancellations were later announced. As a result, thousands of passengers were left stranded as they arrived at the airport.
DGCA sacks four FOIs
As per the latest development, the DGCA has sacked four flight operations inspectors (FOIs) responsible for oversight on IndiGo and its preparation regarding the new pilot rest and duty duration rules.
Serious questions to IndiGo include: If the airline knew there were problems with the duty roster, crew availability, and FDTL compliance, why did they allow operations to reach a point where mass cancellations spiraled out of control? The answers to these questions are putting IndiGo in the dock.
