Action in IndiGo flight disruptions depending on inquiry: Govt official

Authorities will take appropriate action in the matter of IndiGo flight disruptions depending on the inquiry committee findings, a senior government official said on Saturday.

As flight disruptions continued for the fifth straight day, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, along with senior civil aviation ministry officials, held a "serious meeting" with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to review the situation and address the issues, the official said.

The meeting, held in the national capital on Saturday, was attended by Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha, and DGCA chief Faiz Ahmed Kidwai, among others.

At the meeting, IndiGo CEO was also asked to ensure that the airline complies with the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) within the given timeframe.

The official told PTI that the immediate priority is to restore normalcy in flight operations and the airline has been asked to ensure prompt refund of tickets.

Appropriate action will be taken depending on the findings of the inquiry panel, which is to submit its report in 15 days, the official said.

There have been reports that the authorities might take strong action against the airline and its CEO.

Against the backdrop of a large number of flights cancelled and delayed at various airports, causing hardships to thousands of passengers, aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Friday set up a four-member inquiry panel to ascertain the reasons for the situation and recommend mitigation measures.

The committee comprises Joint Director General Sanjay K Bramhane and other members are Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, Senior Flight Operations Inspector Captain Kapil Manglik and Flight Operations Inspector Captain Rampal at the DGCA.

The committee will submit its findings and recommendations to the DGCA within 15 days to enable necessary regulatory enforcement action and ensure institutional strengthening, the order said.

On Saturday, various measures were initiated by the ministry as part of efforts to normalise flight operations as well as ensure passenger hardships are reduced.

The ministry has temporarily capped airfares except for business class tickets in the range of Rs 7,500 to Rs 18,000 depending on the distance covered by a flight.

Besides, IndiGo has been directed to complete ticket refund process for cancelled and delayed flights by 8 pm on Sunday and also deliver baggage separated from the passengers within the next 48 hours.

IndiGo, the country's largest airline that generally operates around 2,300 flights, recorded the lowest On Time Performance (OTP), an indicator of punctuality, of 3.7 per cent on December 5.