IndiGo crisis continues on Day 7, over 450 flights cancelled, anger and frustration among passengers, check latest updates
Flight operations for IndiGo, the country's largest airline, failed to return to normal on Monday. More than 250 flights have been cancelled from Delhi, Srinagar, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, and Ahmedabad airports so far. Passengers are facing significant inconvenience. Despite government orders, the situation has shown no improvement, and congestion and confusion at airports are increasing.
The cancellations of IndiGo flights have created chaos at airports. Twenty flights were grounded in Ahmedabad, while seven were cancelled in Visakhapatnam. Passengers at Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, and other major airports also faced significant inconvenience.
By Monday morning, approximately 456 flights had been reported cancelled. This led to anger and frustration among passengers, who waited for hours at airports, only to be postponed.
The airline had also cancelled more than 650 flights a day earlier. However, the company claims to be operating 1,650 of its 2,300 daily flights.
IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers stated that the situation is improving daily. Operations are expected to return to normal by December 10. Previously, the company had stated that normality would return between December 10 and 15.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court has refused an immediate hearing on the petition filed against IndiGo. CJI Surya Kant stated that the Indian government has already taken action on the issue.
Company claims: Sufficient pilots, insufficient buffer
IndiGo stated that a "root cause analysis" will be conducted to determine the cause of the current crisis. An official stated, "The lack of buffer in crew planning due to the implementation of the new FDTL system was the primary cause of the crisis. We did not have a shortage of pilots. We simply did not have as much buffer staff as other airlines." The Parliamentary Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture may also summon officials from IndiGo and the DGCA.
DGCA gives IndiGo CEO 24 more hours
The DGCA has given IndiGo's CEO and Accounting Manager 24 more hours to respond to the show-cause notice. Both have until Monday evening. Company management had requested an extension.
In addition, IndiGo has processed refunds worth Rs 610 crore during the recent flight crisis and returned baggage to 3,000 passengers.
IndiGo's stock fell 7.5 percent
Amid the ongoing crisis surrounding IndiGo Airlines flights in India, the company's stock continues to decline. IndiGo's stock fell 7.5 percent during Monday's trading session.
The stock has been under constant pressure over the past week, falling by 15 percent.
SpiceJet's stock, meanwhile, jumped 10 percent during Monday's trading session.
The crisis began last Wednesday when hundreds of IndiGo flights were cancelled and dozens were delayed. On Friday alone, more than 1,000 flights were cancelled.
This caused fares for other airlines to skyrocket. On Saturday, the Indian government intervened and capped airfares.