The aviation regulator has constituted an oversight team to monitor IndiGo’s daily operations. The team of eight experts comprises of senior Government official and flight operations inspectors. While four members of the team will be stationed at the carrier’s corporate office in Gurugram, remaining will inspect operations at 11 airports across the country. The team will submit daily reports to the regulator at 6pm every day.
The Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also summoned on Thursday the airline CEO, Pieter Elbers and sought a report on recent disruptions. The moves by the regulator come a day after the Prime Minister’s Office reviewed chaos at airports.
Officials deputed to the airline’s corporate office will review daily operational details such as total fleet, network, number of pilots, crew availability, standby crew strength, split duties, training status and unplanned leave taken by crew. They will also track domestic and international cancellation status, refunds, on-time performance, compensation provided to passengers under Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) and baggage return timelines.
Meanwhile, the remaining officers have been ordered to visit designated airports within two to three days and submit a comprehensive report to the DGCA within 24 hours of completing their inspections. The airports include Nagpur, Jaipur, Bhopal, Surat, Tirupati, Vijayawada, Shirdi, Cochin, Lucknow, Amritsar and Dehradun.
IndiGo Chief Apologises
New Delhi: IndiGo Board Chairman and Non-Executive Director Vikram Singh Mehta on Wednesday publicly apologised for last week’s large-scale flight disruptions, acknowledging that the airline failed to meet customer expectations and pledging corrective measures. In a video message, Mehta rejected claims that IndiGo engineered the crisis or compromised safety, emphasising that the airline adhered to updated Pilot Fatigue Rules (FDTL).