IndiGo cancels 560 flights today; refunds touch Rs 827 cr, 4,500 bags returned

IndiGo on Monday (December 8) cancelled 562 flights from six metro airports, as the airline’s operational crisis continued for the seventh straight day, even as the Supreme Court declined to hear a PIL on the disruptions, observing that necessary steps appeared to have been taken to manage the situation.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, has been grappling with widespread operational issues since last Tuesday, leading to hundreds of cancellations and major rescheduling across its network.

Of the 560 cancellations, 150 (76 arrivals and 74 departures) originated from Bengaluru airport alone, news agency PTI reported citing unnamed sources. Those in Delhi included 83 departures and 60 arrivals. At Mumbai and Hyderabad airports, the cancellations were 98 (50 arrivals and 48 departures) and 112 (58 arrivals and 54 departures), respectively. While only two IndiGo flights were cancelled at Kolkata Airport on Monday, the number of cancellations at Chennai Airport reportedly stood at 56 arrivals and departures.

Earlier, aviation watchdog DGCA on Sunday gave more time to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to submit their responses to the show causes notices seeking their explanations on the flight disruptions.

Both have been granted 24 hours more or time till 6 pm on Monday to submit their replies, a senior official said on Sunday.

For six days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have been significantly disrupted resulting in massive flight cancellations and delays impacting travel plans of thousands of passengers. Against this backdrop, the regulator had issued the show cause notices.

Also read | IndiGo ramps up operations, issues Rs 610 crore in refunds after week-long disruptions

In the showcause notices issued on Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked Elbers and Porqueras to give their replies by Sunday evening. The official said the deadline for replies were extended following requests from both the airline executives.

The two executives on Sunday had sought additional time for a response citing operational constraints due to the scale of its nationwide operations and multiple unavoidable factors that contributed to disruptions across several airports, the official said.

Crisis group monitors situation

Meanwhile, IndiGo on Sunday cancelled over 650 flights while the disrupted operations were slowly stabilising as the number of cancellations reduced and more than Rs 610 crore worth ticket refunds were processed for the affected passengers.

While IndiGo will carry out a "root cause analysis" into flight disruptions that continued for the sixth consecutive day, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said passengers have endured mental harassment and distress due to the operational crisis and assured that steps are being taken to ensure accountability is fixed.

The board of IndiGo's parent InterGlobe Aviation has set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG), which is meeting regularly to monitor the situation, an announcement said on Sunday.

The airline expects operations to stabilise by December 10.

Ministry steps up oversight

The civil aviation ministry, which has taken various measures, including capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite ticket refund process, on Sunday said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.

The civil aviation ministry, which has taken various measures, including capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite ticket refund process, on Sunday said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.

The ministry also said IndiGo has processed Rs 610 crore refunds and delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across the country as of Saturday. The figures went up to Rs 827 crore in refunds and 4,500 bags returned on Monday.

Airlines begins ‘root cause analysis’

In a video message to the staff, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said, "step by step, we are getting back" and that the airline's on time performance (OTP) is expected to be 75 per cent.

Also read | IndiGo crisis: Govt caps airfares, not to exceed Rs 18,000

The OTP, an indicator of punctuality, was 20.7 per cent on Saturday, as per the latest official data.

A senior airline official on Sunday told PTI that it will do a "root cause analysis" and asserted that the carrier has adequate number of pilots and there is no deficiency.

"Our pilot numbers are fine while we may not be having the luxury of a buffer," the official told PTI.

He also said there has been no hiring freeze amid concerns being raised in certain quarters that lean-operating model might have led to the current situation.

(With agency inputs)