IndiGo flight chaos: DGCA panel report against airline due, corrective action to follow

Authorities will take “elaborate and corrective actions” after examining the probe panel report into the recent large-scale flight disruptions at IndiGo, a senior government official said on Friday.

The four-member panel constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is expected to finalise its report soon. The probe was ordered after widespread disruptions hit IndiGo operations earlier this month, affecting thousands of passengers during the peak winter travel season.

Following the disruptions, the aviation regulator cut IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10 per cent. The country’s largest airline was operating around 2,300 flights daily before the reduction.

The senior official said authorities would act after reviewing the panel’s findings. “We will continuously work on it,” the official told news agency PTI, stressing that measures are being taken to ensure such disruptions do not recur.

Responding to a query on whether the schedule adherence of other airlines is also being monitored, the official replied in the affirmative. With the travel season coinciding with the fog season, airlines are expected to operate more flights to manage passenger demand, the official added.

Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Thursday said the airline’s immediate focus is on three key areas — resilience, root-cause analysis and rebuilding — as it works to stabilise operations following the disruptions.

He said that as of Thursday, the airline restored its network to 2,200 flights. Elbers also told IndiGo employees that the events of December 3-5 should not define the airline's journey over the last 19 years. 

Moreover, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has decided to proceed with an inquiry into the airline after a complaint in the wake of large-scale flight cancellations and disruptions that took place recently.

The antitrust watchdog said in a brief statement that it has "taken cognisance of information filed against IndiGo in the context of the recent flight disruptions witnessed in the aviation sector, across various routes." CCI said that based on its initial assessment, it has decided to proceed further in the matter in keeping with the Competition Act, 2002.