IndiGo flight cancellations hit Delhi businesses, tourism by Rs 1,000 crore, says CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal

Delhi’s trade, industry, tourism, and exhibition sectors have suffered an estimated loss of Rs 1,000 crore due to widespread flight cancellations by IndiGo, which disrupted the movement of visitors, the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI) said on Wednesday.

CTI, an umbrella body for Delhi's market associations, reported a 25 per cent drop in footfall at major markets across the city over the past ten days.

There was no immediate response from IndiGo.

More than 4,000 IndiGo flights have been cancelled since December 1, causing significant disruption to travel plans, the statement added.

"Every day, more than 1.5 lakh people travel through Delhi Airport, of which nearly 50,000 are traders and businessmen," CTI Chairman Brijesh Goyal told PTI.

He added that due to the ongoing news of cancellations, the number of traders arriving in Delhi has drastically reduced, directly impacting business activity.

The cancellations have also led to a sharp decline in hotel, restaurant, banquet, and resort bookings, with thousands of reservations being cancelled, CTI said.

Goyal described the past week as "dreadful for IndiGo" and distressing for both tourists and business visitors.

Manoj Khandelwal, Director of Manoj Travels, said the peak tourism season in Delhi, usually lasting until mid-January, has been severely impacted, with advance bookings for Christmas and New Year travel already showing signs of being affected.

The market association urged authorities to ensure smooth travel operations and mitigate the ongoing fallout from the cancellations across multiple sectors.

Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Wednesday that it has deployed a special team to IndiGo’s corporate office to monitor the airline’s functioning, as passengers nationwide continue to face disruptions from widespread cancellations and delays.

The DGCA team will review several aspects of IndiGo’s operations, including its total fleet, average flight distance, pilot strength, network planning, and crew duty hours. They will also check daily and monthly “dead-heading” duties, crew training processes, split duties, unplanned leaves, flights operated per day, crew availability, sectors affected due to shortages, and standby crew levels across all bases for both cockpit and cabin staff.

Additionally, the DGCA will monitor cancellation data for domestic and international flights, refund timelines, on-time performance, compensation provided under aviation rules, and baggage delivery.

Earlier, the regulator summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to its office. He is required to submit a detailed report on the disruptions, including plans to restore normal operations, recruitment of pilots and crew, current manpower availability, total cancellations, and refund processing. The CEO and senior officials from all key departments have been instructed to attend the meeting. The DGCA has also set up a panel to examine IndiGo’s manpower planning, crew roster changes, and readiness to comply with revised duty and rest norms for pilots.

 

(With inputs from PTI)