IndiGo's Board of Directors has moved to address the operational crisis that prompted regulatory action earlier this week, announcing the formation of a dedicated Crisis Management Group.
In a statement issued on Sunday, the airline disclosed that its Board convened immediately when the wave of flight cancellations and delays first emerged. The directors received comprehensive briefings from management regarding the scale and nature of the disruptions that led to over 1,000 flight cancellations, a record for any Indian carrier.
Following the initial briefing, Board members held a closed-door session where they decided to establish a Crisis Management Group (CMG) to oversee the airline's response. The high-level committee includes Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, Board Directors Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker, and Amitabh Kant, along with CEO Pieter Elbers, the same executive who received a show-cause notice from the DGCA demanding explanations within 24 hours.
According to the airline's spokesperson, the CMG has been conducting regular meetings to track developments and receives continuous updates from management on remedial measures being implemented to restore normal service levels. Board members outside the formal committee have also been engaged through multiple telephone consultations.
The statement stressed that the Board's primary focus is addressing passenger difficulties and rebuilding operational stability across the carrier's extensive network as rapidly as possible.
IndiGo has committed to prioritising customer welfare during the crisis period by ensuring prompt refunds for cancelled flights and providing waivers on both cancellation and rescheduling fees, it said.
The airline's troubles began when it struggled to adapt to the second phase of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations for pilots, which came into effect on 1 November. The operational breakdown saw the carrier's on-time performance plummet to just 3.7 per cent on Friday, according to Civil Aviation Ministry data.
While IndiGo has since secured temporary regulatory relief allowing it to revert to earlier duty parameters, the crisis has drawn unprecedented scrutiny from aviation authorities and sparked concerns about the airline's operational planning capabilities.
The Gurugram-based carrier, which operates approximately 2,300 daily flights, reported on Saturday that it had restored service to 135 of its 138 destinations, representing over 95 percent network recovery. |
