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New Delhi: Several airports across the country witnessed chaotic scenes after passengers, frustrated by IndiGo flight cancellations, created a ruckus and engaged in a heated altercation with staff. More than 150 IndiGo flights were cancelled across eight major airports in several cities, including Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Bengaluru on Wednesday, causing huge inconvenience to domestic passengers who were stranded at terminals for hours.
According to aviation authorities, 42 flights were canceled in Bengaluru, 38 in Delhi, 25 in Ahmedabad, 11 in Indore, 19 in Hyderabad, 8 in Surat, and 10 in Kolkata. Flight services were affected by technical issues in some places, while a shortage of crew members disrupted operations in others.
Chaotic scenes at airports
Visuals from several airports surfaced online showing frustrated passengers engaging in a heated argument with the airline staff as they waited for hours after their flights were cancelled. Some even raised slogans against the airline.
"Some IndiGo flights operating from Mumbai Airport may experience delays or cancellations due to airline-related operational issues. Passengers booked with IndiGo are requested to check the latest flight status directly with the airline before heading to the airport," the Mumbai airport said in a statement.
Bengaluru's Kempegowda International Airport also faced a spurt of disruptions with 42 domestic flights cancelled, including 22 arrivals and 20 departures.
At Hyderabad airport too, passengers were seen arguing with IndiGo's customer service team after 33 flights, including both arrivals and departures, were cancelled.
What IndiGo said on flight delays and cancellations
IndiGo, India’s largest airline, is grappling with major flight delays and cancellations due to multiple factors. More than 200 flights of the airlines have been canceled in the past two days. The airlines has cited several reasons for the disruption of flight operations, including technical snags, weather conditions, and the implementation of crew rostering rules - Flight Duty Time Limitations.
"A multitude of unforeseen operational challenges, including minor technology glitches, schedule changes linked to the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system and the implementation of updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitations) had a negative compounding impact on our operations in a way that was not feasible to be anticipated," IndiGo said in a statement.
Pilots' body says cancellations not linked to FDTL
Meanwhile, Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) blamed IndiGo for the current aviation chaos, stating that the present disruption is a direct consequence of airline's long-standing and unconventional lean manpower strategy. It further said the Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) regulations imposed on airlines cannot be blamed for the present chaos, as all airlines in the country face the same issue and have remained largely unaffected due to timely planning.
"The current disruption is the direct consequence of IndiGo’s prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy across departments, particularly in flight operations.
"Despite the two-year preparatory window before full Flight Duty Time Limit implementation, the airline inexplicably adopted a hiring freeze, entered non-poaching arrangements, maintained a pilot pay freeze through cartel-like behaviour, and demonstrated other short-sighted planning practices," the association charged in a statement.
