Govt working with full urgency to restore normalcy: MoS Mohol on IndiGo fiasco

New Delhi, Dec 6 Even as IndiGo continued to face operational disruptions for the fifth consecutive day on Saturday, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Mridul Mohol stated that the government is working with full urgency to restore normalcy.

The airline cancelled a total of 405 domestic flights amid the ongoing crisis, primarily due to an unexpected pilot shortage caused by planning shortcomings.

Taking to social media platform X, Mohol informed about necessary actions being undertaken as the “government is working with full urgency to restore normalcy” as thousands of passengers faced a harrowing time at airports across the country.

“The Central Government has taken very serious note of the inconvenience caused to passengers due to the disruption in Indigo’s services. The FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) orders of the DGCA have been placed in abeyance with immediate effect. All necessary actions are being undertaken without compromising air safety and with the foremost priority of safeguarding passengers’ interests,” the MoS said.

“A 24×7 control room has also been established in the Ministry for real-time monitoring. The Government of India has decided to institute a high-level inquiry into the disruption,” he added.

The inquiry will examine what went wrong at the airline, determine accountability wherever required for appropriate actions, and recommend measures to prevent similar disruptions in the future -- ensuring that passengers do not face such hardships again.

Mohol expressed confidence “that flight operations will stabilise in the next few days and return to complete normalcy at the earliest”.

Earlier, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu stated that the government has instructed airlines to provide regular and accurate updates through enhanced online information systems, enabling passengers to monitor real-time flight status from their homes.

“In case of any flight cancellations, the airlines will issue full refunds automatically, without the need for passengers to make any requests. Passengers who are stranded due to prolonged delays will be provided hotel accommodation arranged directly by the airlines,” the minister added.

Meanwhile, Indian Railways has stepped in to help the harassed passengers by adding extra coaches to its trains to accommodate the rush of people.

The Railway Ministry said in a press statement that it is deploying 116 additional coaches across 37 premium trains, covering 114 enhanced trips nationwide.

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