IndiGo Crisis: Normalcy Restored At Airports After Five Days Of Disruption, Govt Says

Normalcy is gradually being restored at airports across the country and all necessary facilities are provided to passengers, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said late Saturday. Flight check-in and check-out services are happening smoothly.

Earlier, IndiGo said it has re-established 95% of its network connectivity in terms of destinations. The carrier operated to 135 out of the 138 destinations on Saturday and is on course to operate over 1,500 flights by the end of the day, the airline said in a statement.

India largest airline had cancelled more than 1,500 flights in the past few days after a severe crew shortage and problems tied to new flight duty rules crippled its operations.  

The disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded at major airports, leading to massive backlash against the airline. Long queues at ticket counters, angry passengers, protests at major airports and a viral open letter by employees on the alleged mismanagement by the airline have deepened the IndiGo crisis.

Many travellers missed connecting flights and important events, including weddings, concerts and seminars amid the massive cancellations by IndiGo. The situation prompted the government to order a high-level inquiry and put the new norms on hold temporarily to restore flight operations.

Airlines had also been instructed to maintain ticket availability across all fare buckets and avoid any steep or unusual price hikes on sectors impacted by cancellations.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation's move comes after spike in airfares, as charges of certain airlines shot up due to the ongoing disruption.

Earlier in the day, aviation expert Subhash Goyal commented, "To make air travel safer, pilots were demanding more rest hours in line with international regulations. Therefore, the DGCA issued new regulations, following court orders."

"All airlines were instructed more than a year ago to recruit more pilots and staff and prepare for the new regulations. Airlines like Akasa, SpiceJet, Air India, and Air India Express all complied. However, IndiGo not only disobeyed the regulations but also expanded its international route network and increased domestic flights without increasing crew and pilots. As a result, when the government wanted to enforce the policy deadline, IndiGo, instead of reducing some of its flights, grounded most of its flights... It created complete chaos..." he stated.