IndiGo flights cancellation: Civil aviation minister warns of ‘necessary action’ against those responsible

Over 1,000 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Friday alone, following which aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) provided a raft of exemptions to help normalise its operations

Civil aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu on Saturday said a committee has been established to identify the reasons and accountability for the IndiGo flight disruptions, adding that “necessary actions” wold be taken accordingly.

“We have formed a committee which will inquire into all this so that they can establish where things went wrong and who did it wrong. We are going to take necessary action on that also. This thing shouldn't be left unattended,” he said in an interaction with ANI.

His comments came amid the unprecedented disruption in air services across the country over the last four days caused by the large-scale cancellation and delay of IndiGo flights.

Over 1,000 IndiGo flights were cancelled on Friday alone, following which aviation watchdog, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) provided a raft of exemptions to help normalise its operations.

“The immediate priority for us is to bring back normalcy and provide all the support to the passengers. Today, in the country if you see, there are 5 lakh people travelling by air every day,” said Naidu.

Earlier on Friday, Naidu said that the civil aviation ministry has taken urgent and proactive measures to address the disruption in flight schedules, particularly those of Indigo airlines.

"The Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. Without compromising on air safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially senior citizens, students, patients, and others who rely on timely air travel for essential needs," he said.

According to him, the operational measures have been initiated to ensure that normal airline services are restored at the earliest.

"Based on the immediate implementation of these directives, we expect that flight schedules will begin to stabilise and return to normal by tomorrow. We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days," the minister said.