In the run-up to mitigating the IndiGo flight crisis, Aviation safety regulator, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) for alleged lapses that led to massive disruptions, delays, and flight cancellations since December 2.
“Four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) at the DGCA have been suspended in connection with the recent large-scale disruptions in IndiGo’s flights,” a source confirmed, but did not wish to be named.
FOIs are senior officials within the DGCA who work as part of its regulatory and safety oversight functions, often deployed to monitor airline operations. They ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers, and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India.
Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO, Pieter Elbers, and COO, Isidre Porqueras, are due to appear before the DGCA’s investigation panel again at 2 pm on Friday.
Elbers, who had appeared before the DGCA-constituted inquiry panel on Thursday, was asked to appear again on December 12.
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In its scrutiny of the crisis that has been looming India’s domestic airline sector since the beginning of this month, the DGCA’s officials stationed themselves at the carrier’s headquarters to monitor operations, while an inquiry panel grilled Elbers.
The four-member panel constituted by the body comprises Joint Director General, Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General, Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector, Kapil Manglik, and FOI, Lokesh Rampal. It has been mandated to identify the root causes of the widespread operational disruptions at India’s leading domestic carrier.
The committee’s mandate also includes assessing manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline’s preparedness to implement the latest duty period and rest norms for pilots, which came into effect from November 1 this year.
On Friday, IndiGo cancelled over 50 flights from Bengaluru Airport, with a source saying the total flight cancellation at the airport was 54 – including 31 arrivals and 23 departures.
Amidst claims that its operations were now normalised, the crisis-hit airline had cancelled over 200 flights from Delhi and Bengaluru on Thursday.
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