Page 3 - Indigo

IndiGo asked to cut winter schedule by 5% amid high cancellations: Details

IndiGo has restored most flights, improved on-time performance and cleared major backlogs, delivering over 4,500 bags and issuing ₹827 crore in refunds

Why IndiGo's board is not keen on removing CEO Pieter Elbers amid crisis

Even as IndiGo's cancellations, delays and refunds mount, several board members argue Pieter Elbers' crisis-handling record and experience make his removal neither simple nor necessarily wise

IndiGo crisis exposes risks of airline dominance and operational lapses

The contest for India's 1.4 billion consumers was turning into a fixed match, I had argued in May 2023

India's six major airlines employ nearly 14,000 pilots: MoS Murlidhar Mohol

Six major domestic airlines have employed 13,989 pilots, with Air India and its low-cost arm, Air India Express, having 6,350 and 1,592 pilots respectively and IndiGo having 5,085 cockpit crew, Parliament was informed on Monday. The number of pilots at Akasa is 466 and at SpiceJet, it is 385, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said in a written reply to a question in the Rajya Sabha. The government-run Alliance Air has employed 111 pilots, he added. The minister said the rate of employment among qualified pilots is dependent on market forces. He said the rationale behind airlines hiring foreign pilots, inter alia, is the requirement of a specific type-rated pilot in light of fleet expansions and time-bound operational requirements. Mohol also said the flying training organisations (FTOs) are continuously upgrading their aircraft fleet by regularly inducting training aircraft fleets. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has facilitated the induction o

Not possible to pinpoint cause of operational disruption, says IndiGo

Minister promises strict action; airline board members unsure if CEO must go

Flight disruptions credit negative, may hit IndiGo financially: Moody's

Flags financial damage from revenue loss, compensation, DGCA fines

IndiGo cancels 562 flights from 6 metro airports; 150 at Bengaluru alone

Crisis-hit domestic carrier IndiGo has cancelled 500 flights and plans to operate 1,802 services on Monday, the civil aviation ministry said. The airline has delivered 4,500 bags to the passengers out of the total 9,000, and will deliver the remaining in next 36 hours, the ministry said in a statement. Today (Monday) IndiGo plans to operate 1,802 flights to 137 out of 138 destinations, with 500 cancellations. (Also) 4,500 bags were delivered to customers out of the total 9,000 bags. (the airline) targets to deliver balance bags in the next 36 hours, the ministry said. It also said that 5,86,705 PNRs for period December 1-7 were cancelled and refunded, amounting to total Rs 569.65 crore. Total 9,55,591 PNRs for period November 21 to December 7 were also cancelled and refunded, amounting to Rs 827 crore. IndIGo has been facing heat from both the government and the passengers for cancelling hundreds of flights since December 2, citing regulatory changes in the pilots' new flight duty

Flight cancellations credit negative, to hit IndiGo financially: Moody's

The widespread disruptions in IndiGo flights, resulting from the airline's failure to plan for aviation regulations communicated to industry more than a year in advance, could result in financial damage from loss of revenue as well as potential penalties for cancellations, Moody's Ratings said on Monday. In a note, Moody's said the disruptions are "credit negative" for the airline. "Despite temporary reprieve, failure to effectively plan for new aviation regulations is credit negative." The disruptions, which coincided with peak winter schedules, resulted in over 1,600 flight cancellations on December 5, after similar operational issues in November left more than 1,200 flights grounded. Flights cancellations started on December 2 and the airline is yet to restore normalcy. More than 500 flights were cancelled on Monday. "The disruptions are credit negative because IndiGo could face significant financial damage from loss of revenue because of flight cancellations, refunds and other .

'Need to have 5 big airlines': Civil Aviation Minister amid IndiGo crisis

Ram Mohan Naidu said India needs to have five big airlines given the demand, and that has been the effort from the ministry to encourage more airlines to join the industry

IndiGo gets 24 hrs for DGCA reply as refunds hit ₹610 cr: Top updates

After major nationwide disruptions, IndiGo now has to answer the DGCA by 6 pm on Monday; the airline says operations are improving and ₹610 crore in refunds have already been cleared

Opposition seeks govt statement on IndiGo disruptions, flights chaos

The opposition on Monday demanded in the Lok Sabha that the government should inform the country about what it is doing in the wake of the IndiGo flight disruptions and the inconvenience being faced by the people at various airports across the country. Speaker Om Birla said Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu will give a detailed statement on the matter in the Lower House on Monday or Tuesday. Speaking in the Lok Sabha soon after the Question Hour, Congress' deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Gaurav Gogoi said, "Through you (the Speaker), we request the government that the Civil Aviation Ministry should tell the country through this House that why people in all airports across the country since many days (are facing trouble), there are dialysis patients, people who have weddings in their house, people who want to reach their elderly, there is chaos at the airports." "We were told that even people wearing Hawai chappals will travel in airplanes but prices have soared to Rs 20,000, .

Delhi HC to hear plea seeking govt assistance amid IndiGo crisis on Dec 10

The Delhi High Court on Monday listed for hearing on December 10 a plea seeking directions to the Centre to provide support and refunds to passengers affected by the cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo. The petition was mentioned for urgent hearing before a bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela. The counsel for the petitioner said they have filed a PIL on the IndiGo crisis issue. "Several people are stuck. The ground situation at airports is inhumane. We are expecting the court to pass orders to IndiGo and ground support staff for people stranded at the airports. There is no proper system for refunds," he said. When the court pointed out that the government has already passed some directions in the matter, the counsel responded in the affirmative. The bench said the PIL will be listed for hearing on Wednesday. Over 250 IndiGo flights were cancelled from Delhi and Bengaluru airports on Monday as the disruptions in the crisis-hit ..

SC refuses urgent hearing of plea on flight cancellations by IndiGo

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to accord urgent hearing to a plea seeking judicial intervention into cancellation of hundreds of flights by IndiGo, saying the Centre has taken note of the situation and has taken steps to address it. The top court said it was cognizant of the fact that lakhs of people are stranded at various airports. "It is a serious matter. Lakhs of people are stranded at the airports. We know that the government of India has taken timely action and cognizance of the issue. We know people may have health issues and other important issues etc.," Chief Justice Surya Kant, who was heading a bench comprising Justice Joymalya Bagchi, said. A lawyer mentioned the issue and said there have been a lot of flight cancellations by IndiGo over the last few days and passengers are suffering. "The cancellations are not informed to the flyers," he said, adding that around 2,500 flights are delayed and customers are suffering at 95 airports across the country. Over 250 Indi

How IndiGo's pursuit of profit triggered a nationwide aviation meltdown?

While the company has pledged a full recovery by Dec 10, the debacle threatens IndiGo's position in the industry and its ambitious expansion plans

IndiGo cancels over 220 flights in Mumbai, Delhi as disruptions continue

IndiGo cancelled more than 220 flights at Delhi and Mumbai airports on Sunday, as the disruptions entered the sixth day while efforts are on to normalise operations. The disruptions have resulted in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays in the last few days, causing hardships to thousands of passengers. Sources said at least 112 flights were cancelled at the Mumbai airport and 109 flights at Delhi airport. After cancelling approximately 1,600 of its 2,300 daily flights on Friday, the airline saw a reduction in disruptions on Saturday, with cancellations falling to around 800, according to sources. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO and Accountable Manager Porqueras on Saturday received DGCA notices, seeking explanations within 24 hours on the massive flight disruptions. "The main objective (of operating just 700 flights on Friday) was to reboot the network, systems, and rosters so that we could start afresh today (Saturday) with higher number of flights, improved stability, an

IndiGo flight disruptions cause widespread travel woes across India

The chaos is not limited to the national capital but across the major metropolitan cities of the country

DGCA issues show cause notice to IndiGo CEO Elbers on flight disruptions

Aviation watchdog DGCA on Saturday issued a show cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers seeking an explanation for the massive flight disruptions, according to sources. For five days in a row, IndiGo has seen significant flight disruptions with hundreds of flight cancellations and delays, causing hardships to thousands of passengers. In the notice, the regulator said the large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management, the sources said. "... as the CEO, you are responsible for ensuring effective management of the airline but you have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers," the notice read. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also asked Elbers to reply within 24 hours. The notice also mentioned that the primary cause of the flight disruptions is non-provisioning of adequate arrangements to cater

Railways announces 89 special trains following IndiGo flight cancellations

The Railways announced 84 special trains across all zones for Saturday to help people facing travel disruptions due to the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo. In a coordinated move by the Railway Ministry, the trains, which are to make 104 trips, were arranged in the shortest possible time after analysis of train traffic situations in major cities such as New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna, and Howrah, among others. "The number of special trains and their trips might increase further depending on the traffic scenario. All zones have been asked to make use of all available resources, including rolling stock as well as manpower, to safely operate these trains for the convenience of lakhs of passengers stranded at different parts of the country due to flight cancellations," said Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information & Publicity, Railway Board. Officials said efforts are being made to make people aware about the trains, and some divisions have even disseminated ...

Air India announces waiver on change or cancellation of domestic bookings

Five days after the IndiGo flight disruptions that left thousands of passengers stranded at airports pan-India, Tata Group-owned Air India on Saturday said it has taken several measures to "help" fliers, including introducing a special waiver on change or cancellation fees on eligible domestic bookings. It also said Air India, along with its subsidiary Air India Express, has "proactively" capped economy airfares on non-stop domestic flights from December 4 to prevent the usual demand-supply dynamics applied by automated revenue management systems. It also said both carriers are also in the process of ensuring compliance with the latest directive on airfare caps announced by the Civil Aviation Ministry on Saturday. To provide greater flexibility, Air India and Air India Express have introduced a special waiver on change or cancellation fees on eligible domestic bookings, the airline said. With this, customers who booked their flights with either carrier until December 4 for travel .

DGCA panel to review disruptions as IndiGo says 95% connectivity restored

According to airport data accessed on Saturday, several major hubs reported significant cancellations by IndiGo. Hyderabad Airport recorded 69 planned cancellations