The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) in India announced it will oversee airfares to ensure they remain stable during the Indigo airline disruption crisis.
Delays and cancellations affecting hundreds of Indigo flights are partly due to new Flight Duty Time Limitations imposed by the DGCA.
On Thursday, the DGCA stated that the Civil Aviation Minister, along with senior Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) officials and Indigo representatives, are actively reviewing and monitoring the situation. Additionally, airport directors nationwide have been instructed to “provide all necessary assistance to stranded passengers.”
The DGCA has been tasked with monitoring airfares and has instructed Indigo to prevent any fare increases due to flight disruptions.
The statement further mentioned that Indigo has cited several reasons for the delays, such as transitional challenges in implementing the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) CAR, crew scheduling issues, and operational constraints related to the winter season.
The civil aviation authority emphasized that the FDTL regulations aim to mitigate pilot fatigue and enhance flight safety.
Instructions to Indigo
The DGCA also specified directives for the airline. Indigo is required to “submit a comprehensive plan outlining projected crew recruitment.” This plan should also address “crew training, roster restructuring, safety-risk assessments, and mitigation strategies.”
In light of the ongoing disruptions, Indigo has been instructed to take immediate action to normalize operations and reduce flight cancellations. The DGCA demands a progress report every 15 days, detailing operational improvements, crew availability, and roster stability.
“Indigo is required to propose the necessary FDTL relaxations to normalize flight operations for DGCA’s assessment. The DGCA will maintain strict, real-time oversight of IndiGo’s network performance, recovery efforts, and passenger management throughout the upcoming week,” the authority commented.
