IndiGo Crisis: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Denies Bowing to Pressure, DGCA Issues Notice to CEO Pieter Elbers

7 hours ago

In this Special Report, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu addresses the ongoing IndiGo crisis as flight operations enter the sixth day of disruptions. With over 1,500 flights cancelled and passengers stranded across India, the Minister clarifies the government's stance on the temporary relaxation of Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. He asserts, 'My straightforward answer to them is that we have not succumbed to any pressure... We have given a temporary abeyance... by February 10th, we will go back to the regular FDTL norms.' The report also highlights the DGCA's show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, demanding an explanation for the mismanagement within 24 hours. The programme features ground reports from Delhi, Chennai, and Chandigarh, capturing the harrowing experiences of stranded passengers facing cancellations and soaring airfares.

Transcript

00:00The Indigo crisis enters its sixth day.

00:04Their flight operations seem to be limping their way back to normal.

00:08But Indigo has announced that it will operate over 1,500 plus flights today.

00:12But the reality seems to be in their latest statement

00:15that 650 flights have already been cancelled for the day.

00:18Passengers have been stranded at several airports.

00:21150 flights have been cancelled at Bengaluru Airport

00:24while 115 flights have been cancelled in Hyderabad.

00:27Meanwhile, sources have informed India today

00:29that Parliamentary Committee has taken strict stance on the Indigo incident

00:33and will be summoning all airlines and DGCA over the crisis.

00:37Trouble continues to mount for Indigo.

00:39The DGCA has issued a show-cost notice to Indigo CEO Peter Elbas

00:44over the flight delays, cancellations and other issues.

00:48Now, the CEO has been asked to respond within 24 hours.

00:52The Prime Minister's office is also keeping a close eye on the crisis,

00:55according to government sources.

00:57Indigo is expected to face penalties.

00:59And as flight fare prices shot up amid this chaos,

01:02the government prohibited airlines to charge above fixed fare limits,

01:06citing public interest.

01:08Let's take a look at the reactions and reports

01:10coming in from different parts of the country.

01:12In fact, I bring to you the voices of all those stranded passengers

01:16and the harrowing experiences that they have been facing.

01:19So, currently, I am here at the terminal T2,

01:26which witnessed chaos and mismanagement due to Indigo crisis.

01:30And behind me, in the visuals, you can see still queue outside the Indigo counter

01:34and people are claiming that their flights are being still cancelled by the airlines.

01:38And we have also seen action by the DGCA, who has sent a show course notice to Indigo Airlines.

01:44They have asked the questions on the mismanagement, but still people are coming out.

01:49They are talking about the mismanagement.

01:51They are blaming the Indigo Airlines.

01:52But yeah, big question, who is responsible behind this mismanagement

01:56and who will be answered for the failure of this mismanagement

01:59and the people, those who have wasted their time and money in this crisis

02:03with cameraman Nasir Khan in Mool Bali, Delhi.

02:06We are currently at the Chennai airport.

02:07And if you see, that is the checkpoint where through which the passengers

02:10actually enter the airport to go for the electorate to board their flights.

02:13However, what's happening currently is that instead of going over there directly,

02:17they are coming over here and they are waiting at the kiosk at first

02:20because for now there seems to be a lot of confusion that is still prevailing

02:23over what is the status of their flight.

02:25In fact, many have to come over here and only then they are trying to,

02:29unfortunately they are getting the information that either their flight is rescheduled

02:33or cancelled or they will have to wait for some more time.

02:35You can also see like many of the passengers are carrying toddlers along with them

02:38and they are waiting over here.

02:40The important kind of like issue they are trying to raise at this spot is that

02:43like they are not getting any kind of updation or information.

02:47That seems to be the very big issue.

02:48So are you hopeful that today the flight will depart?

02:52Yeah, yeah, I am very sure that it will be on time.

02:54And I think I have trust on Indigo, it should happen.

02:58No, I am good.

02:59So far, let's hope for it.

03:01So all the people over here, it's morning and people over here are all in a hope

03:09that their flight will depart and they will reach to their destinations.

03:13Yet, we have seen from the last three, four days that the flight were being given

03:20and after that the flight time was rescheduled and after that what happened, it was cancelled.

03:27So people got anxious, angry, agitated.

03:30Here in Chandigarh, there's a footfall of 12,000 to 13,000 passengers on daily basis at Chandigarh airport

03:36and in the last three days, more than 50 flights are being cancelled and there are a number of flights

03:42that are being delayed or being being scheduled.

03:46So passengers are facing issue and there are 8,000 to 9,000 passengers in the last three days

03:50that have suffered so far.

03:52And also, you see how his passenger, he wants to go to Kolkata but his flight has been rescheduled

04:01and the amount has been not defended yet and he will be going by train now.

04:06Now, how are you going with the train?

04:07You're going with the train now?

04:08Not yet, I'll go back to the train now.

04:10I'll go tomorrow at 10.30 at Kolkata.

04:12Why are you not going in the flight?

04:13We don't go out.

04:14We're going out.

04:15We're going out.

04:15It's because of this.

04:16We'll be taking out.

04:16There's something else that will get out.

04:17I'll go out.

04:18If you don't do that.

04:19Then you're going out.

04:20Then you're going to switch off.

04:21I don't know which number is not reachable, it means that no customer has to go to the airport every time,

04:27you have to go to the airport, you have to go to the line, then something will happen,

04:30they will just reschedule it, it means that it is eyewash,

04:34it means that if you are saying that you are selling it, you can give it,

04:37then if you are going to say that it is cancelled, you can give it,

04:40and if you have a trip, you have to book a hotel,

04:43you don't have to do the reschedule, so what do you do?

04:46I mean, when we had 4, we had 10 returning,

04:49we had 4, we had 5, we had 6, we had 7, we had 7, we had 4 days,

04:55we had 2, 2 cameras booked, our parents were going to go to the airport,

05:00how many millions of dollars have already been?

05:02We were saying, you will take a refund, you will take a refund,

05:06you will take a refund, who will bear the hotels there?

05:11So this is the current situation viewers, the stranded passengers asking very important

05:23questions, people who are travelling and remember, it's a time of the year when we see weddings

05:28taking place across the country, we take a look at people celebrating and travelling across the country,

05:36for vacations, for festivals coming up, so yes, it is quite a peak rush time that we see when

05:44such a chaos has completely gripped the country, and people are asking questions,

05:50what happens to the added costs that they are having to spend money with regards to,

05:55who will be bearing those costs, and also people who have important work in different cities,

06:01what happens to their appointments, where do they go? So these are pertinent voices being raised,

06:06pertinent questions being raised by the voices from across airports,

06:09people who are stranded for more than 48 hours at different airports of the country.

06:17And with that, India Today also had an exclusive conversation with the Civil Aviation Minister

06:20Ram Mohan Naidu himself over this very crisis. The Aviation Minister said,

06:24that the new FDTL norms have been relaxed for the sake of flyers, clarifying that the government

06:30did not succumb to any pressure. Listen in to what he has said.

06:39Many in the passengers and the aviation experts are saying that this particular operator wanted

06:47to blackmail the Ministry of Civil Aviation, to do away with the FDTL new norms, and to put you in

06:54a position where it has to be put in abeyance. And you have surrendered to that particular

06:59circumstance as well. That's what many of the civil aviation experts are speaking about. And in general,

07:03people believe that now. My straightforward answer to them is that we have not succumbed to any

07:07pressure. And we have not taken any decision based on the pressure that has been built up or anything.

07:12My first focus, which has been there from the day one of me being the Minister and the government's focus

07:17is also on the people of the country, especially the passengers who are traveling. This is a time where it is

07:22a vacation time. People want to fly out, people want to go and they have, and you know, air travel

07:26is almost related to emergency travel, where they want to fly immediately or reach a destination

07:31immediately. That is when they travel by air. And in those situations, you have so many passengers

07:37who want to fly. It's not Indigo or Air India, they want to fly, they want to get to the destination. So

07:42it is as a minister, my responsibility to take care of them first.

07:45If an operator is not able to run at that full capacity to cater for the passengers,

07:51then I have to facilitate for the travel of the passengers. So again, putting the focus on the

07:56passengers, we have given a temporary abeyance, a temporary abeyance, which is very, very clear,

08:02if you look at that order also, that by February 10, we will go back to the regular FDTL norms,

08:08which everyone else is following. And we have asked them for a strict plan also. And we will monitor

08:14that plan weekly from DGCA, from the ministry to ensure that they will do. And this is a work in

08:19progress. We are also devising the guidelines that the safety or the FDTL norms are not affected much

08:25and the operation smoothen out because of the keeping the season in mind, keeping the passengers

08:30in mind. This is not a country where 20 years the aviation was at a different scale. But today,

08:35you're seeing every other day, you have 5 lakh passengers growing. That is the strength of aviation

08:40today in the country. And you have to keep that momentum going on.

IndiGo Crisis: Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Denies Bowing to Pressure, DGCA Issues Notice to CEO Pieter Elbers

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