DGCA Fines IndiGo Rs 22 Crore For Recent Mass Cancellation Of Flights
New Delhi: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Saturday imposed a fine of Rs 22.2 crore on IndiGo airline for recent massive disruption. The airline last December faced massive disruptions, cancellations and delays. Indigo has also been impose a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore.
In a statement issued by DGCA, the regulator said that the four-member committee it constituted to probe widespread disruption between December 3–5, has conducted a detailed inquiry and thoroughly studied the network planning, rostering and software being deployed by Indigo for the same time.
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The regulator pointed out that the large-scale delays and cancellations reported by the airline resulted in the cancellation of 2,507 flights and delays of 1,852 flights and causing inconvenience to over three lakh passengers stranded at various airports.
The committee found that the disruptions were caused by over-optimisation of operations, inadequate regulatory preparedness, deficiencies in system software support, and shortcomings in IndiGo’s management structure and operational control, observing that the airline’s management failed to adequately identify planning deficiencies, maintain sufficient operational buffer, and effectively implement the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) provisions.
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It found pointed out an overriding focus on maximising utilisation of crew, aircraft, and network resources, which significantly reduced roster buffer margins. However, the penalty includes a daily penalty of Rs 30 lakh for 68 days of non-compliance.
The DGCA’s ₹22.2 crore fine include a daily penalty of ₹30 lakh for 68 days of non-compliance. The airline has responded stating that it will take full cognizance of the orders and take appropriate measures. The Board and the Management of IndiGo are committed to taking full cognizance of the orders and will take appropriate measures, the airline said, adding that an in-depth review of the robustness and resilience of the internal processes at IndiGo has been underway since the disruption to ensure that the airline emerges stronger out of these events in its otherwise pristine record of 19+ years of operations.
