IndiGo crisis exposes technical void at DGCA’s highest levels

In early December, IndiGo cancelled more than 4,500 flights due to a pilot shortage, failing to meet new DGCA regulations capping pilots flying hours from midnight to 6am.

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In early December, IndiGo cancelled more than 4,500 flights due to a pilot shortage.

(PTI)

A nationwide uproar prompted the aviation ministry and DGCA to launch an investigation, slash IndiGo's daily flights by 10%, and demand explanations from IndiGo chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers and the airline's chief operating officer Isidre Porqueras.While the IndiGo cancellations seem to have been a case of mismanagement by the airline, the role of ministry of civil aviation and DGCA came under the lens for lapses.

“They did not spot the craters in time, they did not prune the expanded schedules in time, nor did they verify if they had the pilots for the schedule, even when they saw the troubles brewing in November,” said Sanjay Lazar, aviation safety specialist and CEO of Avialaz Consulting.

Six months ago, Air India’s Flight 171 crashed seconds after takeoff from Ahmedabad, with at least 260 fatalities. The Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau is still investigating what caused the country's worst civil aviation disaster.