IndiGo's flight disruption has left passengers in distress. The airline has cancelled flight after flight. The chaos has continued for three consecutive days. Passenger's suffering has reached its peak. In this situation, on Friday, DGCA withdrew a clause of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL). It had stated that no other leave could be taken in place of the weekly rest day. That rule was finally lifted to manage the flight disruption.
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There was resentment among pilots and crew over leave. In the past few days, it took an extreme form. After meeting with representatives of multiple airlines on this day, the Director General of Civil Aviation issued a statement. There, he said, "After meeting with representatives of various airlines to reduce operational pressure, it seemed necessary to review this regulation." Immediately after this, that clause of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) was withdrawn to normalise air services.
Multiple airline companies had requested this rule change due to crew shortage and irregular schedules. In the current situation, DGCA had no option but to accept the airlines' request. The rule is taking effect from today. As a result, if leave is now considered as weekly rest, it will be convenient for airlines to make rosters. Notably, IndiGo controls about 60 per cent of passenger transport. Therefore, it is hoped that the situation will normalise quickly as a result of the rule change.
There are complaints that passengers have been stuck for hours at various airports. Many claim they did not even get food and water. Luggage has piled up in heaps. IndiGo had claimed that the disruption was due to crew roster problems, technical complications and new duty norms. Congress MP Rahul Gandhi had attacked the central government over the incident. He said, "Whether it's air services or any other sector, to take the Indian economy forward, 'fair competition' must be restored. Monopolistic dominance weakens the economy."
The opposition has also demanded a discussion in Parliament over the IndiGo disruption. On this day, Shiv Sena MP Priyanka Chaturvedi gave notice in Rajya Sabha under Rule 180. Demanding a statement from Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu, she said, "Thousands of passengers are stranded. Such disruption in air services is worrying. The central government should intervene immediately. An answer must be given as to why this is happening."
According to the latest reports, IndiGo has cancelled all flights from Delhi airport until midnight Friday. All flights have also been cancelled in Chennai and Bengaluru until 6 PM. With this, about 950 flights have been cancelled in two days.
