(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation in India (DGCA) has said that it will monitor airfares and make sure they do not increase amid the Indigo airline flight disruption crisis.

The cancellations and delays of hundreds of flights operated by the Indian airline has been attributed partly to new Flight Duty Time Limitations laid out by the DGCA.

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In a statement on Thursday, the DGCA said that the situation was being reviewed and monitored by the Civil Aviation Minister and senior officials from Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) and Indigo. It added that airport directors across the country have been ordered to "provide all support to stranded passengers."

The DGCA has been directed to monitor airfares, and has in turn ordered Indigo to ensure the flight disruptions do not lead to increased prices.

The statement also confirmed that Indigo has provided reasons for the delays, "including transitional challenges in implementing the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) CAR, crew-planning issues, and winter-season operational constraints".

The civil aviation authority said that the FDTL rules were implemented to manage pilot fatigue and increase flight safety.

Directions to Indigo

The DGCA also outlined its directions to the Indian airline. According to the authority, the carrier must "submit a detailed roadmap covering projected crew recruitment." It must also plan for "crew training, roster restructuring, safety-risk assessments, and mitigation measures."

Amid the ongoing disruptions, the airline has been ordered to provide immediate steps to normalise operations and reduce flight cancellations. The DGCA has asked for a detailed progress report every 15 days. This report must include operational improvements, crew availability, and roster stability.

"Indigo is directed to submit the FDTL relaxations required to normalise the flight operations for DGCA review. DGCA will continue to maintain strict, real-time monitoring of IndiGo's network performance, restoration efforts, and passenger-handling measures over the coming week," said the authority.

The DGCA also conducted real-time field inspections at major airports including Delhi Airport Terminal 1, which it said "witnessed the highest passenger impact". The authority said that its inspection team found that Indigo did not have enough staff to handle the passengers and the extra crowds due to the disruptions.

"The airline has been instructed to urgently increase manpower and strengthen passenger-support services at all affected terminals," DGCA said.

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