Unwanted record for IndiGo in 20 years as it cancels over 550 flights in a day | 10 Points
On Thursday, IndiGo cancelled more than 550 flights. Of these, around 172 flights were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in New Delhi. Another 118 flights were also cancelled at the Mumbai airport.
New Delhi:
The IndiGo, which is India's largest airline, cancelled more than international and domestic 550 flights on Thursday, impacting the travel plans for thousands of passengers, according to officials. This is the maximum number of flights cancelled by IndiGo in a day in 20 years.
Of these, around 172 flights were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in New Delhi. Another 118 flights were cancelled at the Mumbai airport, 100 in Bengaluru, 75 in Hyderabad, 35 in Kolkata, 26 in Chennai and 11 in Goa. Several other flights were also cancelled at other airports.
Here's everything you need to know about this story in 10 points:
- With the situation getting dire, IndiGo has apologised to the commuters and the industry stakeholders, it said the airline is working diligently to "reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy".
- "The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations..." the IndiGo statement read. "We continue to keep our customers apprised of any changes to their scheduled flights and advise them to check the latest status."
- IndiGo chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbert's apology note to passengers has also gone viral on social media, in which he accepted that the airline "failed to live up to that promise these past days".
- "An accumulation of several operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion in the aviation ecosystem, and the implementation of the FDTL norms, compounded negatively to create a cascading impact on our operations," he said.
- The IndiGo also briefed the aviation watchdog Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) about the situation on Thursday and said it expects that the situation will normalise by February next year. It has also sought temporary relaxations from the DGCA in Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) requirements for A320 plane operations.
- The DGCA said it will review the FDTL relaxations, adding that one of its teams also inspected the terminal 1 of the Delhi airport on Thursday, where the IndiGo has substantial operations.
- "The team observed that IndiGo's passenger-handling manpower was inadequate to manage disruption-induced crowding," the DGCA statement read.
- Meanwhile, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu also held a high-level meeting to review the situation. Expressing displeasure over how IndiGo handled the situation, he warned the airline against fare hike.
- He has also directed the Airport Authority of India (AAI) and the DGCA to regularly monitor the situation, informing all airport directors to provide all support to the stranded passengers.
- "I have instructed the DGCA and concerned officials at the Ministry to keep a close watch on the network and directed Indigo to normalize the operations at the earliest. In addition, AAI and other airport operators have also been directed to provide all the support to stranded passengers," Naidu posted on X.