DGCA Deploys Oversight Teams at IndiGo Office to Monitor Operations Amid Major Flight Disruptions

IndiGo has confirmed that all employees are collaborating to restore normal operations.

Following the government's decision to double IndiGo's flight curtailment to over 200 daily flights, the aviation regulator DGCA has established two oversight teams to be stationed at the airline's Gurugram headquarters to monitor various operational aspects, including crew utilization and passenger refunds.

IndiGo has cited Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), regulations designed to ensure adequate rest for pilots and crew, as one of the primary factors behind the significant disruptions that have occurred since December 2, resulting in more than 5,000 flight cancellations.

DGCA officials announced on Wednesday that these oversight teams will provide daily reports to the regulator by 6 pm. The first team will focus on monitoring fleet size, pilot strength, crew utilization hours, training status, split duties, unplanned leaves, standby crew availability, daily flights, and the total number of sectors affected by crew shortages.

This team will also assess the average stage length (the distance covered in a single leg from takeoff to landing) and the airline's network to develop a comprehensive understanding of operations.

The second team will concentrate on addressing crisis-related issues, including refund status (from both the airline and third-party websites/agents), passenger compensation in accordance with Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR), on-time performance metrics, baggage recovery procedures, and the status of various flight cancellations.

When announcing the 10% flight curtailment order on Tuesday, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu revealed that IndiGo's CEO, Pieter Elbers, had been summoned. Elbers confirmed that refunds for flights affected through December 6 had been completed, with remaining refunds to be processed shortly.

"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding by it, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," Naidu stated in a social media post on X.

On Wednesday, IndiGo posted on X that all 65,000 employees have united to restore operational normalcy and requested passengers to maintain trust in the airline.

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"The IndiGo Board has been closely monitoring the situation while the Crisis Management Group of the Board has been meeting every day, and actively working with the CEO, the senior management and various teams deployed on the ground to restore normalcy in operations... Please have faith in us. We are getting there," stated a message posted on the airline's official account.