Mass leave by crew, 55% IndiGo flights delayed

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, July 3

Nearly 55 per cent of IndiGo’s domestic flights were delayed on Saturday as a significant number of cabin crew members took sick leave, with sources in the industry saying they apparently went for an Air India recruitment drive.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report from IndiGo with the Aviation Ministry data showing only 45 per cent of the IndiGo operations could stick to the schedule on Saturday. “We have noted the development and have sought a report from the airline,” a senior DGCA official told The Tribune.

Sources said the phase-2 of Air India’s recruitment drive was conducted on Saturday and a majority of IndiGo’s cabin crew members who took sick leave went for it.

Responding to tweets by aggrieved passengers on Twitter, IndiGo said, “The delay was due to the late arrival of the incoming aircraft which disrupted the rotation. We hope you understand that many factors are beyond our control that determine our flight schedule.”

IndiGo operates more than 1,600 flights daily, both domestic and international. Discontent has been brewing among its staff over continued pay cuts imposed at the beginning of the pandemic.

Meanwhile, the on-time performances of Air India, SpiceJet, Vistara, Go First and AirAsia India was 77.1 per cent, 80.4 per cent, 86.3 per cent, 88 per cent and 92.3 per cent, respectively, on Saturday.

IndiGo CEO Ronjoy Dutta had on April 8 told staff that raising salaries was a difficult and thorny issue.

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