New Delhi: IndiGo airlines, that witnessed one of its worst operational crisis as it struggled to implement new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, in its response to the Directorate General of Civil
Aviation (DGCA) on Monday said that the disruption resulted from a combination of factors while mentioning that the airline is "profusely apologetic" and deeply regrets the inconvenience and hardship caused to customers.IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras filed a "comprehensive" reply to DGCA show cause notices before the extended deadline expired on Monday evening, airline sources said.The airline listed out the possible causes before the DGCA for the flight operation fiasco that the airline has been witnessing since last week including:
- Minor technical glitches
- Scheduled changes linked to the start of winter season
- Adverse weather conditions
- Increased congestion in the aviation system
- Implementation of and operation under the updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitation Phase II)
The airline also mentioned that it was realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact causes at this time due to the complexity and vast scale of operations.It noted that the DGCA's manual allows a fifteen-day response time for show-cause notices, suggesting more time is needed to conduct a comprehensive 'Root Cause Analysis' (RCA).
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EHSibhnphQ
Govt To Take Strict Action Against IndiGO
Meanwhile, the government plans to take strict action against IndiGo to "set an example" for airlines that violate regulations, the Civil Aviation Minister said on Monday, as the country's largest carrier added more flights as its operations limp back to normalcy following a week of widespread flight cancellations.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wg4Q1ioLWEU
IndiGo, whose delayed preparation for stricter pilot rest rules triggered last week's wave of cancellations, operated 1,800 flights on Monday, up from around 1,650 on Sunday. At the peak of disruptions, more than two-thirds of its roughly 2,300 daily flights were grounded on December 5.The sector regulator DGCA, which had previously issued a show cause notice to IndiGo CEO to explain the disruptions, set up a four-member panel to probe the matter.
With inputs from PTI