NEW DELHI: Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said the situation of Indigo flight delays and cancellations is getting better and it is expected that there won’t be any waiting at airports from today.
He said, the government’s major focus has been on reducing the backlogs that have been happening at the airports and it is actively on the ground engaging with all the necessary stakeholders.
Talking to the media in New Delhi, he said, the Ministry of Civil Aviation has engaged with all the airport and airline operators to give priority to children, mothers, senior citizens and persons with disabilities.
Meanwhile, the minister has ordered a high-level probe into the severe operational disruption at Indigo, which has seen over 1,000 flights cancelled. Blaming the airline’s ‘mismanagement’ of crew, Naidu stated, ‘The ministry has been thoroughly engaging from day one.’ The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has temporarily exempted Indigo from new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules to help stabilize operations by 15 December. Meanwhile, SpiceJet MD Ajay Singh pledged assistance, adding extra flights to mitigate passenger inconvenience.
“We have formed a committee which will inquire into all this so that they can establish where things went wrong and who did it wrong. We are going to take necessary action on that also. This thing shouldn’t be left unattended. We are taking strict action on this, so that whoever was responsible into this needs to pay for it,” he said.
“We are deeply observing this, and observing the FDTL norms, scheduling network. We will thoroughly look into this and ensure that all airlines follow due diligence,” he added.
Ram Mohan Naidu said earlier in the day in a statement that the ministry has taken urgent and proactive measures to address the ongoing disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo Airlines.
He said passenger care, safety, and convenience continue to be the government’s highest priorities.
The minister said the DGCA’s Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect.
“Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs. Civil Aviation Ministry said in a release. Several operational measures have been directed to ensure that normal airline services are restored at the earliest and that the inconvenience caused to travellers is significantly reduced,” he said.
“Based on the immediate implementation of these directives, we expect that flight schedules will begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow. We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days,” he added.
