With air travel chaos continuing for the sixth consecutive day, the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture is set to summon top executives of IndiGo and key officials of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry of Civil Aviation to explain about the cause of the disruption in air services and possible solutions.
The committee, chaired by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, has taken serious note of the hardships faced by thousands of passengers stuck at airports nationwide. According to a panel member, even several parliamentarians travelling to the national Capital for the Winter Session were affected by IndiGo cancellations and delays by other carriers.
A member said the panel has taken serious note of the difficulties faced by thousands of passengers due to disruption in air services.
Even parliamentarians, who were in the national capital for the Winter Session, faced the brunt of flight cancellations by IndiGo and delays by other airlines, the panel member said.
Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in response to Rahul Gandhi’s remark, stated that the Government has consistently promoted competition in the aviation sector to promote the entry of more airlines in the market. He highlighted recent legislation aimed at reducing leasing costs, noting that it will make it easier for airlines to expand their fleets. In his Statement, Naidu pointed out that the IndiGo crisis is an issue of public concern rather than a political issue.
Several MPs also received complaints from people about air fares shooting up due to the scenario. Meanwhile, CPI(M) Rajya Sabha member John Brittas, who is not part of the standing committee on transport, has demanded the setting up of a joint parliamentary committee or a judicial inquiry into the large-scale disruption of flights.
IndiGo cancelled more than 220 flights at Delhi and Mumbai airports on Sunday, as the disruptions entered the sixth day, even as efforts were on to normalise operations.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has held IndiGo’s top management accountable for ongoing flight disruptions, issuing a show-cause notice to its CEO Pieter Elbers, as the low-cost airlines cancelled more flights on Sunday amid an ongoing crisis.
The aviation regulator has sought an explanation from him within 24 hours on why enforcement action should not be initiated against him after widespread IndiGo delays and cancellations disrupted air travel across the country.
The rules the airline failed to comply with are 42A of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, and Civil Aviation Requirements, which pertain to fatigue management of pilots.
According to the DGCA notice, “Whereas such large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight, and resource management, and prima facie non-compliance on the part of the airline”.
