New Delhi: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on 9 December said the revised pilot and crew rostering norms were “non-negotiable”, as he assured strict action against IndiGo over the continued disruptions that have affected passengers nationwide.
Speaking in the Lok Sabha, Naidu said IndiGo’s operations were stabilising but stressed that no airline would be allowed to inconvenience travellers through planning failures or non-compliance.
Nearly 500 IndiGo flights were cancelled on 9 December, though the scale was lower than last week’s chaos.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) granted IndiGo a temporary exemption from the stricter night-duty limits under the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms, drawing criticism from experts who accused the Centre of yielding to pressure.
Naidu said refunds, baggage tracing and passenger assistance were being monitored, adding that IndiGo had already processed Rs 750 crore in refunds. A detailed investigation is underway.
Highlighting IndiGo’s 65 per cent domestic market share and Air India’s 27 per cent, he said the government was encouraging new entrants to avoid a duopoly-like situation.
IndiGo, ordered to cut its flights by 5 per cent, blamed technical glitches, winter transitions, congestion and FDTL-related challenges for the disruptions.
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