Civil Aviation Ministry Deploys Senior Officers at 10 Major Indian Airports Amid IndiGo Operational Crisis

New Delhi:

In response to widespread disruptions caused by IndiGo's operational crisis, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has mobilized senior officers to conduct thorough on-ground inspections at major airports throughout India.

The Ministry has instructed officials at Deputy Secretary, Director, and Joint Secretary levels to personally visit key airports within the next 24 hours. Their mission is to evaluate the overall situation and assess the challenges passengers are currently experiencing.

Ten major airports have been designated for this special inspection initiative, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Pune, Guwahati, Goa, and Thiruvananthapuram.

Since December 3, both the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) have been continuously monitoring the situation at all airports in real-time due to the extraordinary circumstances stemming from IndiGo's operational disruptions.

According to a statement from Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinarapu's Office, a high-level review meeting with all senior officials was convened to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the situation.

The Ministry has directed all senior officials to visit airports to verify airline operations and passenger-oriented services. Any deficiencies identified, including feedback gathered from passenger interactions, must be addressed and rectified immediately, as per the statement.

During a Rajya Sabha session on Monday, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu clarified that the problems affecting IndiGo Airlines passengers were related to the airline's internal crew rostering and operational planning rather than the Aircraft Maintenance and Scheduling System (AMSS).

He mentioned that extensive consultations have been held with all stakeholders regarding Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) guidelines and emphasized that safety remains non-negotiable.

The Minister also highlighted the existence of stringent Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) designed to protect passengers affected by flight delays and cancellations.

Notably, on December 6, the DGCA issued show cause notices to IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer, Pieter Elbers, and its Chief Operating Officer, Isidro Porqueras.