Indigo News: Following the recent major flight disruption in Indigo, the company has appointed a global aviation consulting firm for an independent investigation. DGCA, showing strictness, dismissed 4 flight operations inspectors and summoned the CEO.
Indigo Action Update: India’s largest airline Indigo is now trying to come out of the crisis. After a week of massive flight disruption, the company has appointed a specialized global consulting firm, which will conduct an independent investigation into the entire matter. The company says that the purpose of this step is not just to find the problem, but to further strengthen the operations. IndiGo has given the responsibility of investigation to Chief Aviation Advisors LLC. This team will be led by Captain John Illson, who has more than 40 years of experience in FAA, ICAO, IATA and many global airlines.
Indigo’s statement
According to the company, Captain Ilson is an expert in global aviation strategy, an important role in setting international standards, a master of new aircraft technology and safety leadership. The airline clearly stated that its objective is to ‘independently investigate the recent operational disruption and explore new opportunities for improvement.’
DGCA action, four inspectors removed
After flight cancellation, DGCA has also come into full action mode. The aviation regulator has dismissed four of its flight operations inspectors. These were the same officers who were directly monitoring Indigo. Although DGCA did not clearly explain the reason for the removal, this step clearly shows that the Center does not want to give any relaxation in the matter.
Indigo CEO summoned
Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers has been asked to appear before the high-level committee of DGCA for two days. The committee is investigating what was the reason for the meltdown? Where did the system fail? Was the crew shortage known in advance?
What happened in Indigo?
The situation was at its worst on December 5 when more than 1,000 flights were cancelled. Lakhs of passengers were left stranded at airports across the country. Indigo’s market share is around 65%, hence its impact is visible on air travel in the entire country. This crisis erupted when the new FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitation) rules came into force. IndiGo was already struggling with staff shortage and suddenly changing the entire crew schedule according to the new rules became costly. Some aviation experts claim that this crisis may also be an attempt to put pressure on the government so that the new FDTL rules can be relaxed.
What is the situation in Indigo now?
Now the situation is said to be improving. OTP has again reached above 92%. The government directed IndiGo to reduce flights by 10% so that the system can stabilise. The good thing is that flight cancellations have reduced now, IndiGo operated around 1,950 flights on Thursday, OTP (On-Time Performance) has been running above 92% for two consecutive days, DGCA is now monitoring the company’s operations and refund process every day.