India issues warning to largest airline after travel chaos

Thousands of flights have been canceled since last week after IndiGo Airlines failed to cope with new limitations on duty time for flight crews

India’s civil aviation regulator has warned the country’s largest airline of regulatory action after thousands of travelers were left stranded due to the carrier’s failure to adapt to new duty time curbs for flight crews.

The Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said on Sunday that it has extended a deadline to IndiGo Airlines to respond to a “show-cause” notice on why action should not be taken against it.

The show-cause was first sent to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on December 6, following which the airline requested an extension.

Flight disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded last week in the country’s airports after IndiGo failed to cope with Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) that came into effect on November 1.

Indigo has a 60% domestic market share in India and operates more than 2,000 flights a day. It has canceled more than 2,000 flights since last Tuesday.

The disruptions also triggered a steep hike in airfares across India.

The DGCA granted a temporary FDTL relaxation for IndiGo’s A320 fleet to help restore schedules after the disruptions caused chaos, the Times of India reported.

The aviation regulator said it has identified that the “primary cause” of the disruption was IndiGo’s failure to make “adequate arrangements” to meet the revised staffing, duty time, and rostering requirements under the FDTL rules.

The rules, aimed at addressing crew fatigue and safety concerns, mandated 48 hours of “uninterrupted rest” a week and only two consecutive night duties for pilots and cabin crew, among other measures. This meant the airlines had to hire more crew, the Deccan Herald reported.

IndiGo said it has processed $7 million worth of refunds to passengers and expects operations to stabilize by December 10, according to the Hindustan Times. 

Air travel peaks in December in India during the wedding season and as school holidays begin.