NEW DELHI: IndiGo flight disruptions have entered their sixth day, with the airline expecting to stabilise operations by December 10. The ongoing crisis has caused widespread inconvenience, as cancellations, flight delays, and other major operational issues have left multiple passengers across major cities stranded at airports.However, the airline has announced plans to operate over 1,500 flights by the end of the day and assured that refunds are being processed fully.Here are the top developments
Multiple flights cancelled across citiesIndiGo cancelled 650 flights on Sunday and plans to operate 1,650 of its 2,300 daily flights on December 7, as disruptions entered their sixth consecutive day. More than 220 flights were cancelled across the Delhi and Mumbai airports, even as efforts continued to stabilise operations. The ongoing crisis has led to hundreds of cancellations and delays in recent days, causing significant hardship for thousands of passengers.According to news agency PTI, at least 112 flights were cancelled at Mumbai airport and 109 at Delhi airport on Sunday. This follows a turbulent few days for the airline. After cancelling around 1,600 of its 2,300 daily flights on Friday, disruptions eased slightly on Saturday, with cancellations dropping to approximately 800.IndiGo also cancelled nine flights at the MBB Airport on Sunday, an airport official confirmed. “Due to the ongoing problem, IndiGo has cancelled nine scheduled flights, including both arrivals and departures, from MBB Airport on Sunday. It will, however, operate two flights as scheduled,” MBB Airport Director KM Nehra said.Passengers lose their coolThousands of passengers remain affected due to massive cancellations, delays and other operational issues. Many passengers lost their temper with the ground staff at the airports. Various videos circulating online show passengers getting aggressive with staff.Flyers across various airports also shared accounts of getting stuck at the airport, disrupting their plans. A passenger at the Delhi airport shared how he was expected to return on Friday but was stuck at the Patna airport only touched down in Delhi on Sunday.Amid the chaos, some passengers also tried to keep up the spirit of their fellow crisis-bearers by recreational activities like singing and dancing.‘95% of network connectivity re-established’IndiGo expects to gain back some stability by December 10, as per reports by the news agency PTI. The airline also issued an apology letter stating it expected to operate 1,500 flights by the end of Sunday.“Today, we are on our way to operate over 1500 flights by the end of the day,” said IndiGo in their notice, “With regards to destinations, over 95% of network connectivity has already been re-established as we are able to operate to 135 out of the existing 138 destinations in operations”As per the official statement by the airlines, the Board of Directors met on the first day the flight cancellations and delays began, and was given a detailed briefing by the management on the scale of the crisis.The company said the Board later held an internal session where it decided to establish a Crisis Management Group comprising the chairman, directors and CEO Pieter Elbers.According to the company, the group has been meeting regularly and receiving continuous updates on measures to restore normal operations, with additional telephonic consultations held with other Board members.Centre’s statementUnion minister of state for civil aviation and cooperation, Murlidhar Mohol, on Sunday, assured that the centre is monitoring the IndiGo flight disruptions seriously and immediate actions will be taken against the airlines after the investigation committee’s report is submitted.The statement comes in light of the airlines not adhering to the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). The minister also noted the “mental harassment” being borne by the passengers affected.“All passengers have suffered mental distress and have had to face many difficulties. They had to endure mental harassment because of IndiGo,” said the minister.Railway issues resortThe Railways has announced 89 special trains to operate across all zones over the next three days, beginning Saturday, to assist passengers affected by IndiGo’s large-scale flight cancellations. Officials said the trains, arranged at short notice after reviewing traffic conditions in major cities including New Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, Bengaluru, Patna and Howrah, will together make more than 100 trips.They added that efforts are being made to widely publicise the special services, with some railway divisions sharing information at nearby airports to guide stranded travellers. The South Eastern Railway has also requested airport authorities to display details of the newly introduced special trains.DGCA’s showcause to IndiGoThe Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers, holding the airline responsible for the large-scale operational disruptions seen in recent days and citing “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.”The aviation regulator on Saturday asked the CEO to submit an explanation within 24 hours, following a week of widespread cancellations and delays that have left thousands of passengers stranded across the country.“You are hereby directed to show cause within 24 hours of receipt of this notice as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated against you under the relevant provisions of the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation Requirements for the above-mentioned violations,” the notice stated.
