DGCA orders IndiGo to cut flights by 10%

NEW DELHI: The government on Tuesday ordered IndiGo to cut 10% of planned flights following days of massive disruptions in operations, saying the airline’s internal mismanagement of pilots and aircraft had caused severe inconvenience to passengers across the country.

- Neha LM Tripathi

The move will remove at least 220 daily flights from IndiGo's network, based on the number of services India’s largest airline operated before new pilotrest and duty rules took effect on November 1. The inability of the carrier to meet the new norms saw it cancelling at least 5,500 flights in the first nine days of December.

‘The civil aviation regulator said these reductions will be seen across all the sectors that the airline operates to especially on high demand, high frequency routes to avoid sectors that are solely serviced by IndiGo.

Civil aviation minister K Ram Mohan Naidu said on X that his ministry considered it necessary to reduce IndiGo's routes to help stabilize operations. “A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before,” the minister said.

Blaming the severe inconvenience caused to IndiGo's passengers on “internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication,” he said another meeting with IndiGo's top management was held to review the stabilization measures.