Underscoring the government’s stance of upholding fair play in airline operations, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday that the government places passengers’ interests foremost in its decisions and will ensure that no airline, however large, is permitted to cause hardship to travellers.
“No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause such hardship to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance or non-adherence to statutory provisions,” Naidu said in the Lok Sabha, adding that while normalcy in domestic airline operations is already underway, “strict and appropriate action will be taken” against IndiGo for the massive flight disruptions that have affected thousands of people since December 2.
The minister said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued notices to IndiGo and that the airline gave its assurance to comply with the Revised Flight Duty Time Limitations directed by the DGCA after what is claims was chaos caused by internal crew-rostering failures.
“Safety in civil aviation is completely non-negotiable,” Naidu said.
The ministry had advised the regulator DGCA to act immediately and inquiry orders and show-cause notice to CEO and COO of Indigo were promptly issued, he added.
Naidu said prima facie, it appeared that internal rostering disruptions had led to large-scale cancellations, although the airline says increased congestion in the aviation system, the implementation of pilot rest rules from November 1, minor technical glitches and adverse weather were behind the disruptions.
“IndiGo has been directed to restructure its operations, add reserve crew capacity, improve passenger handling and restore normal schedules without delay. Enhanced oversight on the ground continues,” the minister said.
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Facing mounting criticism by the Opposition parties for encouraging duopoly in the industry, the aviation minister asserted that the Central government is “determined to build a more robust and competitive aviation ecosystem” and that new airlines are being encouraged to start operations.
“Through our policies, we are encouraging more new airlines to start and operate in India, ensuring fair access to airport capacity and eliminating any possibility of a duopoly controlling connectivity and pricing in our skies,” he said.
“More airlines mean more choice, more affordability and more resilience for passengers,” the minister added.
Promising government vigilance in aviation until full normalcy is achieved, Naidu said refunds and baggage tracing remain its priorities.
“Refunds, baggage tracing and passenger support measures remain under the supervision of the ministry. DGCA has commenced a detailed enforcement investigation. IndiGo was ordered to issue refunds promptly and more than Rs 750 crore has already reached passengers,” he said.
IndiGo’s daily flights had fallen drastically to 706 on December 5, but recovered to over 1,800 flights on Monday and were expected to rise further on Tuesday, the minister added.
“We are monitoring each and every case of baggage handing over and ensuring that communication with passengers is timely and dignified. As informed by IndiGo, the process of refunds, baggage handover are at their final stages. Our 24×7 Control Room continues to assist passengers directly whenever needed,” he said further.
Despite promises of “strict and appropriate action empowered under the Aircraft Act and Rules”, Opposition parties expressed dissatisfaction over the minister’s statement and staged a walkout in the Lok Sabha.
IndiGo has said it hopes to return to normalcy this week. But, shares of InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the firm that operates the IndiGo, were down 2 per cent on Tuesday, having lost over 17 per cent of their value this month.
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