New Delhi, Dec 9 (IANS) The Ministry of Civil Aviation on Tuesday issued an order cutting the number of flights that IndiGo can operate by 10 per cent after the massive cancellation of flights by the crisis-ridden airline due to an acute pilot shortage under the new flight duty limitation rules.

The order comes after the aviation regulator DGCA directed the airline earlier on Tuesday to trim its operations by 5 per cent.

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Rammohan Naidu said: “The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall Indigo routes, which will help in stabilising the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10 per cent has been ordered.”

“While abiding with the order, Indigo will continue to cover all its destinations as before. Indigo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception,” he added.

The minister also pointed out that during the last week, many passengers faced severe inconvenience due to Indigo’s internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules, and inadequate communication. While the enquiry and necessary actions are underway, another meeting with Indigo’s top management was held to review the stabilisation measures, he pointed out.

He said that today again, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the Ministry to provide an update. He confirmed that 100 per cent of the refunds for flights affected till December 6 have been completed. A strict instruction to expedite the completion of the remaining refunds and baggage handover was given.

IndiGo, the country’s largest airline, has a market share of 65 per cent, followed by Air India, which is a poor second with a 27 per cent share.

The DGCA had approved 15,014 IndiGo departures per week for the winter season when demand for air travel peaks in the country. But the airline cancelled 951 flights in November out of the 64,346 flights approved for the entire month, causing inconvenience to passengers.

–IANS

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