IndiGo Board Ropes In External Aviation Expert For Flight Disruption Probe

IndiGo's board on Friday announced the appointment of an external aviation expert to carry out a root-cause analysis of recent flight disruptions.

The independent aviation expert will start the review at the earliest and submit a comprehensive report to the board, IndiGo said in a statement.

The board has approved the appointment of aviation Advisors LLC for a comprehensive review and carry out root cause analysis of the airline's recent flight disruptions, it said.

The announcement comes on the day IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers and Chief Operating Officer, Isidre Porqueras are being grilled before a four-member panel, set up by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation with a mandate to identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier.

The mandate of the panel comprising Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, and FOI Lokesh Rampal, includes assessing manpower planning, fluctuating rostering systems, and the airline's preparedness to implement the latest duty period and rest norms for pilots, which came into effect from November 1 this year.

In a related development, the DGCA on Friday sacked four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) over operational disruptions at the Gurugram-headquartered airlines.

"Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran aviation expert, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors," the airline said.

IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta had in a video message earlier this week said that the board had decided to involve external technical experts to work with the management and help determine the root causes that led to the disruptions.

The board of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, has already set up a crisis management group in the wake of the significant operational disruptions that started on December 2.

"The objective is to conduct an independent root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, besides opportunities for improvement," it said.

This decision follows the recommendation of the Crisis Management Group, IndiGo said.

As part of its assessment, the CMG advised commissioning an independent expert review in the matter, the airline said, adding with the board's approval now in place, the review will begin at the earliest.

The independent expert reviewer will submit a comprehensive report to the board upon completion, it stated.

The Rahul Bhatia-controlled airline cancelled thousands of flights between December 1 and December 9 on account of lack of proper planning, and crew shortage in implementing the new set of regulations for pilots' duty period and rest, which were put in place from November 1.

"The four FOIs, under various categories, on a contract basis, are hereby relieved from the DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organisation," a DGCA order said on Friday.

FOIs are senior officials within the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, working as part of its regulatory and safety oversight functions, often deployed to monitor airline operations.

These officials, who come on deputation from various air operators, ensure aviation safety by inspecting, auditing, and certifying airlines and personnel, such as pilots, dispatchers, and cabin crew, to meet strict regulatory standards, verifying various regulations and overseeing training, flight standards, and accident prevention measures in India.

Enhancing oversight, DGCA officials have from Thursday started monitoring IndiGo's operations, refunds, and other processes from the airline's headquarters.

These officials are expected to submit daily reports on the situation, as per sources.

Moreover, as part of its probe, the DGCA has also deployed two members from an 8-member oversight panel at IndiGo's Gurugram headquarters to monitor cancellation status, crew deployment, unplanned leave, and routes hit by staff shortages, among others.