Govt says IndiGo flagged no issues before mass cancellations
The government on Monday informed the Parliament that the IndiGo airlines flagged no issues in a meeting held on December 1, just one day before the airline started cancelling its flights on a large scale.
Responding to a question in Rajya Sabha, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu blamed IndiGo’s “internal system” and defended the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into effect in November.
“The IndiGo crisis happened due to problems in its crew rostering and internal planning system,” Naidu said while answering a question by MP Pramod Tiwari.
Rampant flight cancellations rocked IndiGo on Tuesday afternoon, and continued throughout last week, entering the seventh day on Monday. The airline cancelled over 4,500 flights during this period,
Since the airline commands 60% of India’s domestic market, the mass cancellations dealt a huge blow to passengers’ travel plans, leaving them stranded at airports.
When the airline’s big stake in the aviation sector was raised in Rajya Sabha, Naidu said the government encourages more players to join in. “I want more players in the industry. Today, India has a capacity of five big airlines and there has been an effort from the ministry to encourage more airlines,” he said.