The disruptions in the air travel entered its sixth day on Sunday, leaving hundreds of passengers stranded. The large-scale cancellations has triggered chaos at the airports where passengers crowded airline counters seeking last-minute alternatives, refunds, and rebooking. Over the past five days alone, more than 2,000 flights have reportedly been grounded nationwide, affecting not only domestic routes but a section of international operations too.
The cause of the IndiGo chaos lies in a severe staff shortage that has hit the airline after the enforcement of stricter duty-time regulations for pilots and cabin crew. According to IANS, following the implementation of the safety norms, IndiGo has struggled to roster adequate manpower to operate its scheduled services, leading to rolling cancellations across its network.
IndiGo Chaos
1- Nearly 100 flights operated by IndiGo were cancelled at Chennai airport.
2- Visuals from Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport in Guwahati showed a man sleeping outside the airport, while several passengers were seen waiting with their luggage.
3- According to Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (RGIA), 54 arrivals and 61 departures of IndiGo were cancelled today at the airport.
4- Long queues of passengers were seen at Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi.
5- A passenger, Saurav Roy, told ANI, “I had come here from Kolkata, but now the flight for my return is cancelled. I feel very harassed after coming to Mumbai. What solution will IndiGo provide us? IndiGo has been performing really badly as an organisation.”
Passengers at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai and Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport in Kolkata were also affected amid flight disruptions.
DGCA’s Show Cause Notice
DGCA (Directorate General of Civil Aviation) issued a show-cause notice to the Accountable Manager of IndiGo.
“You are directed to show cause within 24 hours of receipt of this notice as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated against you under the relevant provisions of the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements for the violations. Failure to submit your reply within the stipulated period shall result in the matter being decided ex parte,” the notice read.
IndiGo Says ‘Refund Being Processed’
IndiGo on Sunday said it is witnessing steady improvement in its operations as the airline works to restore normalcy after recent large-scale disruptions.
The airline announced that refunds are being processed smoothly and that it is on track to operate more than 1,650 flights today, a sharp rise from around 1,500 flights on Saturday.
