Pilot Fatigue Rules, Flight Cancellations: Indigo Chairman Breaks Silence, Apologises In Video

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times)

As Indigo stabilises after over a week of major operational disruptions -cancelling thousands of flights leading to chaos across Indian airports leaving passengers to deal with the repercussions - the Chairman issued an apology on Thursday.

In a seven-minute video, Vikram Singh Mehta, who introduces himself as the Chairman of the Board of Directors of InterGlobe Aviation Limited, says that he chose to wait before making a statement. He said the Board thought their "first duty" was to "restore operations and help passengers who were affected".

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IndiGo, which has 65 per cent of the domestic market, cancelled more than 2,000 flights. The delays jolted tens of thousands of people, hitting travel, holiday and wedding plans in one of the worst disruptions in Indian aviation history.

Mehta said that the airline is now operating over 1,900 flights, and all 138 destinations are connected. "On-time performance is back to normal high levels," he added.

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Among the first things the chief acknowledged was the distress of passengers and the loss they incurred by the events, appointments and connections they missed. "I want to say very simply and very clearly: we are sorry," he said, echoing the statement the airline has been repeatedly issuing across platforms.

He added that the airline "owe(s) answers" to its customers, the government, its shareholders, and its employees. "Over the past week, there has been a lot of criticism - some fair, some not. The fair criticism is that the airline let you down."

Slams allegations, 'incorrect' claims

As part of his extensive statement, Mehta also slammed some claims. He said, "There are some allegations that are untrue: that IndiGo engineered the crisis, that we tried to influence government rules, that we compromised safety, that the Board was not involved. These claims are incorrect."

He clarified that the airline has been following the pilot fatigue rules as they came into effect and that IndiGo "did not attempt to bypass them". Adding that a "combination of internal and unanticipated external events" led to the disruptions.

He listed the following reasons for the the disruption: minor technical glitches, schedule changes linked to the start of the winter, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and implementation of an operation under the updated crew rostering rules.

"This is not an excuse; this is simply the truth. Clearly, this combination of events pushed our systems beyond their limits," he emphasised.

Watch his apology below:

IndiGo's woes came at a critical time for the airline and the industry. Rival Air India, which commands a 27 per cent market share and was owned by the government until 2022, has for years faced complaints of an ageing fleet and poor service, and is battling tighter scrutiny since a June crash killed 260 people.

How IndiGo responded to the situation

Mehta also detailed how the firm dealt with the disruptions specifying that they held a Board meeting and set up a crisis management group. Since then, he says, Board members have been in continuous contact with the management team.

The team, he said, focussed on restoring operations, supporting the passengers, communicating transparently, and "preventing this from ever happening again".

The Chairman claimed this resulted in operations returning "back to normal earlier". Refunds worth "several hundred crores" have been processed and hotel, travel assistance has been provided and remaining delayed baggage is now being delivered, he established.

Rebuilding trust 'will not be easy'

While acknowledging the concerns and apologising yet again, Mehta said that there was "no denying" that the company had erred. "Last week's events are a blemish on this airline's pristine clean record."

He added that the airline will now have to build back trust, which will "not be easy". "This will depend on actions, not words. It will be a journey. And as a first step in this journey, let me say, as Chairman of the Board, the company apologises without conditions or excuses."

Authority cuts flights

India has ordered IndiGo to cut 10 per cent of its planned flights.

The cut, raised from an earlier 5 per cent, was announced by civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu on X after a meeting with IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, who cancelled a high-profile appearance at an industry event in London to deal with the crisis.

The move will remove at least 220 daily flights from IndiGo's network, based on the number of services India's largest airline operated before new pilot rest and duty rules took effect on November 1.

"The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations," Naidu said on X.

IndiGo confirmed late on Tuesday that it had received a notice from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) directing a 10 per cent reduction in its domestic winter schedule across all sectors.

Impact on the airline

IndiGo said on Wednesday it has reduced its capacity and passenger unit revenue forecast for the third quarter.

The airline said it now expects its third-quarter capacity to grow in "high single to early double-digit percentage", down from the earlier forecast of growth in "high teens."

It expects passenger unit revenue for the third quarter to be impacted by a "mid-single digit percentage downward moderation" versus the earlier forecast of flat to slight growth.

[With inputs from Reuters]

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