In a latest development, IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras have submitted their replies to the show cause notices issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the airline's massive operational disruptions, news agency PTI reported citing sources. Both executives were given time till 6 pm on Monday to respond to the notices issued by the aviation regulator. Confirming the development, an IndiGo source told PTI, "Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer Isidre Porqueras have filed replies to the show cause notice." However, the contents of the responses were not immediately disclosed.
The DGCA had issued show cause notices to the top IndiGo executives on Saturday, seeking explanations within 24 hours for the widespread flight disruptions. Following a request from the airline, the deadline for submission was later extended to Monday evening.
Week-long chaos hits passengers
IndiGo has been facing serious operational challenges for the past seven consecutive days, marked by hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. The disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded or facing prolonged inconvenience across multiple airports.
Regulator flags planning lapses
In the notices sent to Elbers and Porqueras, the DGCA pointed to major shortcomings in planning, oversight and resource management as the reasons behind the operational failures. Porqueras, who also serves as the airline's Accountable Manager, was held equally responsible for the lapses.
Strong words for IndiGo CEO
"As the CEO, you are responsible for ensuring effective management of the airline, but you have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers," the regulator said in the notice issued to Elbers. According to the DGCA, the primary reason for the disruptions was IndiGo's failure to make adequate arrangements for the smooth implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations scheme approved for the airline. The regulator is now examining whether the airline’s planning failures led to the prolonged breakdown in operations.
What triggered the disruption
IndiGo had informed the DGCA last Friday, after cancelling nearly 1,600 flights out of its daily schedule of around 2,300, that "the operational challenges mainly erupted due to revised phase-2 Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) and that it could adequately anticipated, crew planning and rostering preparedness were insufficient in widespread disruption". The committee has been directed to submit its report within 15 days.
Why airlines opposed new norms
The latest rules increase weekly rest periods to 48 hours, extend night hours, and cap night landings at two instead of six. These changes were initially opposed by domestic carriers including IndiGo and Tata Group owned Air India. However, following Delhi High Court directions, the DGCA implemented the norms in a phased manner, with certain relaxations. IndiGo has currently secured temporary relief from the second-phase norms until February 10. The rules were originally planned for March 2024, but airlines sought a gradual rollout, citing the need for additional crew.
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