IndiGo flight schedule to be cut by 10% to stabilise operations: Minister Naidu     

The civil aviation ministry on Tuesday said it has ordered Indigo to reduce its flight schedule by 10 per cent as it would help the crisis-ridden airline to stabilise operations, which have been disrupted massively due to the transition to the second phase of the new flight duty norms for pilots.

Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, in a statement, said that IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the ministry to provide an update, and he "confirmed" that 100 per cent of the refunds for flights affected till December 6 had been completed.

"A curtailment of 10 per cent (in IndiGo's flight schedule) has been ordered. While abiding by it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before," Naidu said in the statement.

Earlier in the day, aviation safety regulator DGCA had issued an order, saying IndiGo's flight schedule was being cut by 5 per cent.

The ministry considers it "necessary" to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which would help stabilise the airline's operations and lead to reduced cancellations, he said.

Starting early this month, IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights, causing severe hardship to lakhs of passengers and there was complete chaos at airports.

Naidu said Indigo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures, without any exception.

During the last week, many passengers faced severe inconvenience due to Indigo's internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication, the minister said.

"While the inquiry and necessary actions are under way, another meeting with Indigo's top management was held to review the stabilisation measures. On Tuesday again, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the Ministry to provide an update," Naidu said.