Govt curtails IndiGo flights by 10% amid nationwide disruptions, summons CEO
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said decision to curtail IndiGo flights will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations
New Delhi: The government on Tuesday ordered a sharp curtailment of 10% of IndiGo’s operations following days of massive flight disruptions, saying the airline’s internal mismanagement had caused severe inconvenience to passengers across the country. The government also summoned IndiGo chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers on Tuesday.
Civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu took to X and said, “During the last week, many passengers faced severe inconvenience due to Indigo’s internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication. While the enquiry and necessary actions are underway, another meeting with Indigo’s top management was held to review the stabilization measures.”
Follow | Updates on IndiGo cancellation chaos
Also read | 'Eliminating chance of duopoly': Minister calls for more airlines in India
He added, “Today again, @IndiGo6E CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the Ministry to provide an update. He confirmed that 100% of the refunds for flights affected till 6th December have been completed. A strict instruction to expedite the completion of the remaining refunds and baggage handover was given.”
HT interview | Airline should’ve planned well, prepared for mandate: Ram Mohan Naidu
“The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilizing the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before,” Naidu further said.
He also said that the government had instructed IndiGo to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception.
According to an order issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), 5% of IndiGo flights were initially curtailed on the day the airline replied to a show-cause notice issued last week. However, due to operational constraints, the Ministry has now decided to curtail to a minimum 10%.
The development came a day after Naidu told HT on Monday that the reply to the show cause notice will determine if there was a need to take an interim action.
“However, we will wait for the four-member committee constituted by the DGCA to submit its report,” he told HT.
