- The government asked IndiGo to dismiss its senior vice president after flight disruptions in December
- IndiGo was fined Rs 22 crore and senior officials were warned for inefficient planning
- IndiGo refunded cancelled ticket costs and will pay compensation to stranded passengers
The government today told the Delhi High Court that it asked IndiGo to dismiss its senior vice president following the massive disruption in flights in December last year due to inefficient planning.
The government's lawyer Chetan Sharma also reiterated that IndiGo has been fined Rs 22 crore over the lapse and many of its senior officials have been warned to work more responsibly.
The government's response came during the hearing of a petition seeking an independent judicial investigation into the large-scale flight cancellations that left thousands of passengers stranded during holiday season.
IndiGo's lawyer told the high court that it has refunded the cost of tickets cancelled by it. The airline said it will soon pay compensation to passengers who were stranded during the flight disruptions.
The high court questioned IndiGo over its move to put a 12-month validity on the Rs 10,000 vouchers that it would be giving to passengers who were stranded.
What happens if the voucher is not used within 12 months, a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Kari said.
The court then told the airline to give an affidavit within two weeks detailing the manner of compensation to be paid to passengers who were stranded.
The court also took on record a report in a sealed envelope submitted by the regulator DGCA.
Sources in the Ministry of Civil Aviation said the steps taken include caution to the CEO for inadequate overall oversight of flight operations and crisis management, warning to the accountable manager (COO) for failure to assess the impact of the winter schedule 2025 and the revised FDTL CAR leading to widespread disruptions, and warning to the senior vice president (OCC) with directions to relieve him of current operational responsibilities and not to assign any accountable position, for failure in systemic planning and timely implementation of revised FDTL provisions.
Additionally, warnings have also been issued to deputy head of flight operations, AVP-crew resource planning, and director of flight operations for operational, supervisory, manpower planning, and roster management lapses.
IndiGo has been directed to take appropriate action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry and submit a compliance report to DGCA.
In the last hearing, the court had said it appreciated the steps taken by the Centre; however, it also pointed out that lakhs of passengers left in airports meant the disruptions had a negative effect on the economy.
The court had said the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA should monitor and ensure that IndiGo pays compensation to passengers who were stranded.
The airline today reported a 78 per cent fall in profit to Rs 549 crore for the quarter ending December. It was Rs 2,448 crore during the same period last year.
