IndiGo Says Processed Rs 610 Cr in Refunds, Returned 3,000 Bags After Disruptions

IndiGo crisis: Airport directors from Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, and Goa have confirmed normal conditions across terminals today.

As the IndiGo crisis shows signs of easing, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Sunday said the airline has so far processed refunds amounting to Rs 610 crore for passengers affected by widespread flight cancellations and delays. As of Saturday, around 3,000 pieces of baggage had also been returned to passengers across India.

In the last few days, hundreds of flights have been cancelled and delayed, causing hardships to thousands of passengers. The country's largest airline, which generally operates around 2,300 flights daily, on Saturday operated about 1,500 flights compared to little over 700 on Friday. According to IndiGo, 137 out of 138 destinations are in operation on December 7.

It also said the aviation network is moving swiftly towards full normalcy, and all corrective measures will remain in place until operations stabilise entirely. 

"IndiGo has so far processed refunds totalling Rs 610 crore. No additional fees are permitted for rescheduling travel impacted by cancellations. Dedicated support cells have been created to proactively assist passengers so that refund and rebooking issues are resolved without delay or inconvenience," the aviation ministry said in a release.

 
Stating that the ministry has taken rapid and decisive steps to address the disruption caused by the recent IndiGo operational crisis and to ensure that passengers do not face continued inconvenience, it said air travel operations across the country are stabilising at a fast pace.

All other domestic airlines are operating smoothly and at full capacity, while IndiGo's performance has shown steady improvement on Sunday, with flight schedules moving back towards normal levels, the government said.

It also said that IndiGo's flight operations have increased from 706 on Friday to 1,565 on Saturday and are likely to reach up to 1,650 by the end of Sunday. "Continuous communication is mandated throughout the process. With this push, IndiGo has successfully delivered 3,000 pieces of baggage to passengers across India as of Saturday," it added.

Step by step, we are getting back: IndiGo CEO  

 Meanwhile, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Sunday said the airline will be operating around 1,650 flights on Sunday and "step by step, we are getting back". Elbers, in an internal video message to the staff, said the airline's On Time Performance (OTP) is expected to be 75 per cent on Sunday.

"Today, we have realised further improvements of the system in order to reach around 1,650 flights," he said.

"We have been able to execute the cancellations at an earlier stage so that the customers do not show up at the airport in case their flights are cancelled," the CEO said.

IndiGo gets more time for replies to DGCA notices

Aviation watchdog the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras a one-time 24-hour extension to submit its response to the show-cause Notice issued on December 6 regarding recent large-scale operational disruptions and observed non-compliances. 

The two functionaries in their request dated December 7 sought additional time for a response citing operational constraints due to the scale of its nationwide operations and multiple unavoidable factors that contributed to disruptions across several airports. 

Both have been granted 24 hours more or time till 6 pm on Monday to submit their replies, a senior official said on Sunday.

In the show cause notices issued on Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had asked Elbers and Porqueras to give their replies by Sunday evening. The official said the deadline for replies were extended following requests from both the airline executives.

For six days in a row, IndiGo flight operations have been significantly disrupted resulting in massive flight cancellations and delays impacting travel plans of thousands of passengers. Against this backdrop, the regulator had issued the show cause notices.