IndiGo CEO Summoned by DGCA Amidst Flight Disruption Crisis
India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers for an emergency meeting on December 11, 2024. The meeting was called to demand a comprehensive report on the airline’s significant operational disruptions. This follows a week of severe flight cancellations that have affected thousands of passengers across India.
The DGCA has ordered a 5% cut in IndiGo’s flights, citing the carrier’s inability to maintain its committed schedule. The crisis stems from the airline’s failure to adequately prepare for the new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules that came into effect on November 1. IndiGo, which handles over 60% of India’s domestic traffic, cancelled more than 1,600 flights at the height of the disruption on December 5.
The regulator is demanding detailed explanations in six key areas:
- Flight restoration progress
- Crew recruitment plans
- Passenger refunds processing
- Baggage handling
- Communication systems
Despite CEO Elbers’ claim that operations were “fully restored” with a 90% on-time performance, airports in Bengaluru, Mumbai, and Hyderabad continued to report over 200 disruptions.
Source: News9Live