The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs), who were responsible for overseeing airline safety, in connection over chaos at multiple airports across India following cancellation of thousands of IndiGo flights.
The FOIs were responsible for overseeing IndiGo's flight operations, and were suspended for their negligence. "They are relieved from DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organisations," the DGCA said in a statement.
The aviator regulator is continuously monitoring the IndiGo's operations and also summoned its Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers, who appeared before it on Thursday. Its senior officials will also conduct on-site inspections to assess IndiGo's operations across 11 domestic airports.
IndiGo announces Rs 10,000 compensation for passengers
The IndiGo has announced a Rs 10,000 compensation in the form of travel vouchers to its affected passengers. It has also said that it is expected to operate 1,950 flights carrying around 3 lakh passengers.
"We will offer travel vouchers worth Rs 10,000 to such severely impacted customers. These travel vouchers can be used for any future IndiGo journey for the next 12 months," the IndiGo said in a statement. "This compensation is in addition to the commitment under the existing government guidelines, as per which, IndiGo will provide compensation of Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 depending on the block time of the flight, to those customers whose flights were cancelled within 24 hours of departure time."
Meanwhile, Elbers will appear before a four-member panel constituted by the DGCA again on Friday. The panel includes Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik and FOI Lokesh Rampal, and it has the mandate to "identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier".
The committee's mandate includes assessing manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline's preparedness to implement the latest duty period and rest norms for pilots, which came into effect from November 1 this year.
(With PTI inputs)