IndiGo told to restructure its operations: Min in Parl

Internal rostering disruptions led to large-scale cancellations, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers. The ministry advised the regulator to act immediately.

- Neha LM Tripathi

No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause hardship to passengers through planning failures and noncompliance with regulations, Union civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu said on Tuesday, blaming IndiGo’‘s internal roster disruptions for the scheduling meltdown that left millions of passengers stranded across India.

Speaking in the Lok Sabha, the minister said that the airline had assured regulators about obeying the new pilot rest rules but internal roster disruptions led to the scheduling meltdown, adding that “strict and appropriate action will be taken” against IndiGo.

His comments came even as the flight disruptions were yet to fully normalise -- more than a week after glitches first started grounding planes — amid rising questions about the role of the government and the aviation regulator in not just implementing the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules but also in ensuring accountability.

“Indigo had clearly assured full compliance with these norms and also confirmed its preparedness to undertake its winter schedule. Despite these assurances, prima facie, it was observed that internal rostering disruptions led to large-scale cancellations, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers. The ministry advised the regulator to act immediately,” Naidu said.

He informed the House that the disruption caused by IndiGo’s recent operational failures was “rapidly stabilising.”

“IndiGo has been directed to restructure its operations, add reserve crew capacity, improve passenger handling and restore normal schedules without any delay. Enhanced oversight on the ground continues,” he added.