The crisis at IndiGo has officially triggered the government. Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu has confirmed that the Centre will curtail IndiGo’s winter flight schedule and reallocate its slots to competing airlines. This is a move to set an example for the industry.
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Centre Slashes IndiGo Flights: Slots Head to Rivals
Minister Naidu stated that IndiGo, which currently operates 2,200 daily flights, will definitely see a reduction in its routes. This decision follows days of chaos where hundreds of flights were cancelled, impacting thousands of passengers during the busy travel season.
The “Internal Crisis” Explained
Naidu told the Rajya Sabha that the mass cancellations were the result of IndiGo’s “internal crisis” and not an issue with the new regulations themselves.
The Trigger: The chaos began when new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), focused on preventing pilot fatigue by mandating longer rest periods, came into full effect.
The Failure: IndiGo, which has a massive network and typically focuses on maximizing aircraft and crew uptime, was short of crew. This exposed deep planning failures and a lack of preparedness to meet the new, stricter safety norms, forcing hundreds of cancellations.
Government’s Firm Action
The government has launched a thorough inquiry and warned of strict action against the airline for the mismanagement.
Slot Reallocation: The routes and slots taken from IndiGo’s winter schedule will be given to other operators. This is meant to improve competition and stabilize the overall aviation network.
Passenger Refunds: Naidu confirmed that IndiGo has already processed refunds totaling ₹745 crore for over 7.3 lakh cancelled bookings between December 1 and December 8.
The Minister also stressed that the country has the potential to support five major airlines, suggesting the government wants more competition and less reliance on dominant carriers like IndiGo, which commands a large market share.
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