Thousands of flights operated by India’s largest airline, IndiGo, have been cancelled in the past week, disrupting air travel during peak travel season in the world’s most populous nation.
The chaos started last week due to a pilot shortage after the private carrier failed to adapt to a new government guideline on the rest and duty hours of pilots. IndiGo, which operates 2,200 flights daily, has been forced to cancel about 3,400 flights since December 2 in the worst crisis in the carrier’s 20-year operation.
There were flight disruptions in several big cities, including New Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country.
The airline says its operations will be back to normal by December 15.
Given that IndiGo controls 65 percent market share, the impact on travel and ticket prices was severe, forcing the government to intervene and even issue a cap on domestic fares.
Together, Air India and IndiGo control 92 percent of the market share. IndiGo is the only airline that connects many smaller cities and towns in India, such as Shillong, Kolhapur, Prayagraj, Agra and Deogarh, giving it a monopoly on those sectors.
On Friday, about 1,600 flights were cancelled. A day later, more than 700 flights were cancelled, followed by some 650 flights on Sunday. More than 400 flights have been cancelled so far on Monday. The Indian civil aviation authorities introduced the FDTL regulations to address pilot fatigue and safety concerns, bringing them closer to international standards.
These international standards are set by bodies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), a United Nations agency which sets global aviation standards and coordinates international air transport, and the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA).
The new regulations were introduced after years of lobbying by pilot unions and associations in India, including the Airline Pilots’ Association of India (ALPA), for updated fatigue rules. They raised concerns about operational safety risks and health impacts from long, irregular hours.
Source: Here
