Aviation minister's warning after IndiGo crisis: 'Won't let any airline to cause such hardship'

DGCA has issued show-cause notice to IndiGo’s senior leadership and commenced a detailed investigation, said the aviation minister

Addressing the IndiGo fiasco in Lok Sabha, union minister for civil aviation Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu said that the government will remain fully vigilant till the situation stabilises, adding that it will make sure that every passenger in the country travels safely, with the respect they deserve.

"The disruption caused by IndiGo’s recent operational failure is now rapidly stabilising. IndiGo’s daily flights, which had fallen drastically to 706 on December 5, have recovered to over 1,800 flights yesterday and are expected to rise further today," the aviation minister said on Tuesday, adding that accountability, under any circumstance, will be ensured.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued show-cause notice to IndiGo’s senior leadership and commenced a detailed investigation, Naidu said, adding, "Depending on the outcome, strict and appropriate action will be taken. No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause such hardship to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance or non-adherence to statutory provisions, says aviation minister Naidu."

Noting that the situation at airports across the country is returning to normal, Naidu added that all other airlines continue to operate smoothly. "Airports across the country are reporting normal conditions, with no crowding or distress. Refunds, baggage tracing and passenger support measures remain under the supervision of the ministry," he said.

Earlier today, Prime Minister Narendra Modi also expressed concern over the chaos that had ensued following several cancellation of flights operated by IndiGo Airlines. Parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju shared details of the PM’s remarks on the aviation sector crisis during a meeting of NDA MPs today.

"During the NDA parliamentary meeting, the PM told NDA MPs that people should not be troubled, face inconvenience. Rules and laws are good but in order to correct the system it is not right to harass people," said Rijiju.

The NDA lawmakers met ahead of a debate in Parliament on special intensive revision (SIR) of India’s voter rolls.