DGCA summons IndiGo CEO; court raps govt, airline over crisis: Top points

The crisis at domestic carrier IndiGo continued to affect passengers, as nearly 100 flights were cancelled on Wednesday. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Wednesday summoned IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers to appear before the regulator on December 11 afternoon.

 

The matter also rung the court bells, as the Delhi High Court questioned the Centre on how other airlines could take advantage of the IndiGo crisis and charge excessively high fares.

 

Here are the top developments related to the ongoing IndiGo crisis:

DGCA summons IndiGo CEO

In its statement, the DGCA said all senior members from IndiGo's various departments have to attend the meeting. Elbers also needs to present comprehensive data and updates regarding the airline's recent operational disruptions.

 

 

The DGCA also sought updates on flight restoration, including the status of restoring flight services across the network, progress in re-accommodating affected passengers, rerouting policies, and the pilot and crew recruitment plan. Additionally, the airline needs to provide data on the number of cancelled flights, refunds processed, and refund turnaround timelines, the statement said.

Delhi HC raps Centre over airfare

A Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was hearing a public interest litigation seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo.

 

The court questioned the government, asking "The ticket, which was available for ₹5,000, prices went up to ₹30,000-35,000. If there was a crisis, how could other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it go to ₹35,000-39,000?"

 

The DGCA responded that the unprecedented surge has been controlled. "The fares have not only been controlled and capped. It has been figured out. This has never been done before," it said.

 

IndiGo, which handles over 60 per cent of the domestic traffic, has been facing widespread operational disruptions since early December, having cancelled thousands of flights. Amid the cancellations, fares for other airlines to key destinations, including Mumbai, Pune, and Hyderabad, skyrocketed.

'Ministry, DGCA took issue seriously'

The court also rapped the Centre, questioning what was done to ensure that no such situation arises. "In case any airline failed to adhere to the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) guidelines, what is the provision available to you in case of failure by these airlines? Are you helpless? What action could you take against them for failure to adhere?" the court asked.

 

However, the court noted that the Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA have taken issue in the most serious manner, and aviation regulator has constituted a committee to review the circumstances leading to the operational disruption of IndiGo.

 

The court said one of the measures which ought to have been taken by IndiGo to ensure FDTL compliance was the recruitment of an adequate number of pilots. However, it appears that IndiGo couldn’t recruit the said pilots to ensure that the limitations are followed and observed, it said.

Such incidents affect economy: Delhi HC

While acknowledging the steps taken by the government and the DGCA, the court said it continues to bother them how such a situation was allowed to precipitate stranded lakhs of passengers unattended at airports.

 

"Such an incident isn't confined to inconvenience to passengers but also affects the economy. In the present day, fast movement of passengers is an important aspect to keep the economy functioning," the court said.

IndiGo flights cancellations today

On Wednesday, IndiGo cancelled over 60 flights from Bengaluru airport, even as CEO Pieter Elbers claimed yesterday that the airline's operations were back on track.

 

IndiGo has cancelled 61 flights on Wednesday, including 35 arrivals and 26 departures, reported news agency PTI.

 

The airline also cancelled over 10 flights at Ahmedabad airport and seven flights at Goa airport today.