India aviation regulator asks IndiGo to cut 5% of winter flights

[NEW DELHI] India’s aviation regulator ordered IndiGo to cut flights by 5 per cent on high-capacity routes in winter, though not on those where it’s the only operator, as the airline faces growing fallout from the extensive cancellations that sparked travel chaos.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation said in a notice that IndiGo’s winter schedule shows that the airline has increased its departures by 9.66 per cent from last year. In relation to its summer schedule, departures are set to rise by 6.05 per cent.

“However, the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate these schedules efficiently,” the notice said. “It is directed to reduced the schedule by 5 per cent across sectors, especially on high-demand, high-frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operations on a sector by IndiGo.”

The regulator has asked the airline to submit a revised schedule by 5 pm local time on Dec 10.

The directive is part of a suite of actions from Indian authorities following the dramatic unraveling of schedules that saw IndiGo cancel more than 3,000 flights since Dec 3.

The government has also launched an investigation into how the airline, which controls about two-thirds of the domestic aviation market, came to be in its predicament.

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IndiGo has said that increased congestion in the aviation system, the implementation of pilot rest rules from Nov 1, minor technical glitches and adverse weather were behind the disruptions. The airline operated over 2,200 flights daily before the travel chaos unfolded.

The curtailment of routes over winter may spark further issues for some travellers as airlines like Air India, Akasa Air and SpiceJet do not have the extra capacity to make up for the removal of IndiGo services on some routes. BLOOMBERG