IndiGo chaos: DGCA stations special team at airline headquarters to track crew shortfalls, operational delays
PTC Web Desk: In a move aimed at tightening oversight of IndiGo, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted an eight-member monitoring team after the airline reported a wave of flight cancellations caused by crew shortages.
The order issued on Wednesday states that the team will include a Deputy Chief Flight Operations Inspector, senior Flight Operations Inspectors, and two additional FOIs. Two of these officials will be stationed daily at IndiGo’s corporate headquarters to examine key operational parameters such as the airline’s total fleet deployment, average flight distance, pilot strength, route network, crew duty hours and training schedules.
They have also been tasked with tracking daily flight numbers, instances of unplanned leave, sectors affected due to inadequate crew and the number of cockpit and cabin crew kept on standby across bases. According to DGCA, this real-time monitoring is essential to assess how crew shortages are impacting operations.
In addition, a senior statistics officer and a deputy director from the DGCA will also be posted at the airline’s head office to monitor domestic and international cancellations, refund timelines, baggage handling, compensation compliance under civil aviation rules and on-time performance.
Both teams will compile detailed daily reports, to be submitted by 6 pm, to Joint Director General (Administration) Harish Kumar Vashishth and Joint Director General Jai Prakash Pandey.
IndiGo has been grappling with widespread disruptions for over a week since the rollout of the revised crew rostering regulations, which mandate longer rest periods for pilots and cabin crew. The new norms have reduced available manpower, leading to significant delays and cancellations across the network.
The intensified oversight marks one of the strictest interventions by the regulator in recent months as it seeks to stabilise operations for the country’s largest airline by market share.
- With inputs from agencies
