Probe into IndiGo crisis should ensure that a similar situation does not recur
It has been ages since the Wright brothers – Orville and Wilbur – flew the world’s first successful airplane, thus paving way for the aviation commercial service. Air travel was, however, very expensive and could be afforded only by affluent class travellers during the initial years of this service as also the long period when it stabilised. It was unaffordable due to the high capital costs, maintenance issues and operational expenses. The 21st century, however, ensured that air travel was no more a luxury as on one side the concept of budget airlines made flying accessible and common for the masses, while on the other the per capita income rose consistently, especially in the urban regions. Today, travelling by aeroplanes has become a necessity, as people in general have money to spend, but no time to spare.
India has come a long way from the time J R D Tata introduced Air India to the country, whose initial activities included weekly airmail service between Karachi and Madras. Presently IndiGo holding almost 70 per cent share of the market in the Indian aviation sector, is the major airline company in the country. When this airline cancelled or delayed its flights all over the country during the last four days, large numbers of passengers were left stranded at different airports unawares. In turn, the inconvenience caused to the people was unfathomable. Some passengers travelling by IndiGo missed their connecting flights, few others could not reach for their scheduled interviews, while yet some others missed events like weddings and convocations… It was chaos across India!
It all happened without an iota of doubt due to the management failure and poor planning despite long-known policy changes. IndiGo, which usually operates around 2,300 flights on daily basis, with a fleet of over 400 aircraft, failed to adhere to the new stricter regulations introduced by the Indian authorities – Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) – limiting pilot flying times and placing tighter restrictions on their operation of night-time flights. As a result, led by pilot-rostering issues, the staff shortages and new crew duty rules pushed the operations of the aviation carrier into disarray, resulting in nearly 1,000 flights being cancelled over past few days. In Goa itself, out of the 38 scheduled flights at Dabolim, 31 were cancelled, while just seven operating. Many passengers complained that there was no proper communication, food or water as they waited for hours.
Fortunately other airline companies in the country prepared adequately. However, the limited numbers of their operational aircraft as compared to those of IndiGo failed to salvage the situation. IndiGo may now need to cut operations or undertake rapid crew induction, which still requires extensive training time. Meanwhile, the DGCA on Friday evening granted IndiGo a temporary, one-time exemption from key night-operation provisions of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms until February 10, following days of mass flight cancellations and network-wide disruption. The relaxation came after the airline sought regulatory relief citing operational instability, even as pilot unions and members of the public alleged that the disruption was deliberately engineered to pressurise the regulator into diluting the new safety rules.
The unprecedented air transportation problem has forced the Civil Aviation Ministry to order a high-level probe into IndiGo crisis. The inquiry is aimed towards fixing accountability. All said and done, the IndiGo travellers were forced to face unpleasant situations as never witnessed by the country in the past. One only hopes that a similar situation does not recur in the future.
