The Center has ordered IndiGo to reduce 5% flights in its winter schedule. There will be a reduction of 115 flights daily. Crew shortage, new safety rules and DGCA investigation have deepened this crisis. Will IndiGo’s troubles end now or will they increase further?
New Delhi. In recent days, there was a lot of chaos across the country regarding Indigo airline. Passengers’ confidence was shaken due to the sudden cancellation of thousands of flights. From wedding plans to business tours, many important tasks of the people were left in limbo. Now, for the first time in this entire matter, the Central Government has taken very strict steps and ordered Indigo to reduce 5% flights in its winter schedule. This means that out of approximately 2,200 flights operating daily, approximately 115 flights will be closed. This decision is being considered a big signal not only for IndiGo but for the entire Indian aviation sector.
How did the Indigo crisis begin? Was the reason just the new rules?
After the action taken by the government and DGCA, there is panic in the entire aviation sector. Last week, hundreds of flights were suddenly canceled across the country in a single day. All the passengers who had weddings, holidays, medical emergencies or business meetings were left stranded at the airports, worried. There was a continuous flood of complaints on social media. When the government started the investigation, the real reason came to light – IndiGo was going through a major crisis in its pilot and crew management.
Why is down time mandatory in the new flight safety rules?
According to the new flight safety rules, it became mandatory to give more “downtime” to pilots. The goal of these rules is to reduce pilot fatigue, because fatigue can be a major cause of any air accident. But IndiGo – which had long worked on a “low downtime” model – started facing a severe crew shortage as soon as these rules were implemented. The result was that the planes were ready, but the pilots to fly them were not found.
Why did the government have to take strict action?
Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu directly said that this entire crisis was the result of internal management failure of IndiGo. He told in the Rajya Sabha that IndiGo had to improve its crew and roster management in time. The passengers had to face a lot of trouble. The government cannot take this negligence “lightly”. A detailed investigation of the matter is underway. Soon after this, DGCA ordered that IndiGo reduce its flights by 5%, so that the rest of the sector is not affected and the situation can stabilize.
Did Indigo give refund to passengers?
A shocking figure came out that between December 1 and December 8, IndiGo canceled 7,30,655 PNRs. For this the airline processed a refund of Rs 745 crore. The figure of refunds and cancellations on such a large scale itself tells how big the crisis was.
Is this just the beginning? Are other airlines also at risk?
Minister Naidu clearly said that the government wants 5 big airlines in the country. This statement is being considered as a kind of signal to IndiGo that if any company does not follow the rules, the government will keep its options ready. Is IndiGo the only airline to come under pressure from the new flight safety rules, or will the entire sector be affected in the coming months?
Will passengers face problems in the coming days also?
The government has relaxed the new rules for some time, so that it helps in normalizing the situation.
But industry experts say:
- shortage of pilots
- rapidly increasing air travel
- Airlines’ aggressive flight strategy
Due to all this, the airline sector will need to “re-balance” in the coming months also.