IndiGo crisis BIG UPDATE: Airline sets up Crisis Management Group, what’s the responsibility of this group

Indigo Flights Cancelled: Amid the continuous flight cancellations and large-scale delays, Indigo Airlines has set up a high-level Crisis Management Group (CMG) on Sunday. This newly formed group includes Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, Board Directors Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker, and Amitabh Kant, and CEO Pieter Elbers. The Airline has constituted the CMG following a tense Board meeting which was held amid the crisis. Before holding the closed-door session, the Board received a detailed briefing from the management about the ongoing crisis.

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The statement further noted that the group has been meeting regularly to closely monitor the situation and review ongoing efforts to stabilise operations, adding that Directors not part of the CMG have also participated in multiple telephonic discussions as part of the crisis-response mechanism.

“The objective of these meetings and exchanges is to address, as quickly as practically possible, the hardships suffered by our customers and other stakeholders while also restoring operational integrity across the airline’s network expeditiously,” the statement read.

The Board said that it is taking every measure to support affected passengers, including ensuring timely refunds for cancellations and offering waivers on cancellation or rescheduling charges during the crisis period.

“The Board of Directors is doing everything possible to take care of the challenges faced by our customers and to ensure refunds on cancellation and offer waivers on cancellation/rescheduling during the period of crisis,” the statement read.

Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) formally issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers–holding the airline accountable for large-scale operational disruptions in recent days and pointing to “significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management”.

In its notice, the regulatory body on Saturday demanded that the CEO provide an explanation, following a week of widespread cancellations and delays that have left thousands of passengers stranded across India(BHARAT).

As per the notice, Elbers must respond within 24 hours to explain why enforcement action should not be initiated against the carrier; failure to reply will allow the DGCA to decide the matter ex parte.

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According to the Civil Aviation Ministry, it has issued an order to Indigo to clear all pending refunds of the passengers regarding flight cancellations and disrupted flights by Sunday evening, December 7.

The airline also assured that it will fully refund amount of tickets cancelled between December 5 and December 15.

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The airline stated that it its officials are working around the clock to solve the disruptions and bringing operations back to normal. It further informed tha the the flight operations may improve further in the coming days.

“Today (December 6) the number of cancellations has dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to yesterday (December 5). We’re continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days,” a statement of an airline spokesperson read.

Indigo Flights Cancelled: Why Did Indigo Flights Get Cancelled?

The airline gave reason for the chaos to a “multitude of unforeseen operational challenges.” It also said that problems like – tech glitches, winter schedule changes, congestion, and weather contributed to the massive flight cancellations.

According to aviation insiders and regulators, the massive disruption happened following the implementation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). It is the new crew rest and duty-hour rules which is designed by the government to prevent pilot fatigue.

(with ANI inputs)