The IndiGo flight cancellations are likely to continue, with the company announcing that it it will be “adjusting” around 30 flights per day over the coming days due to various Notams (Notice to Airmen) and bad weather predictions. IndiGo Airlines has been facing disruption in its network and operations, and it had to cancel 30-odd flights on Tuesday, at least 32 on Monday and around 70 flights across major airports over the weekend.
With hundreds of passengers facing inconvenience having to allegedly buy high-fare tickets at the last minute, aviation regulator DGCA has said it is looking into the matter.
The IndiGo flight cancellations would continue for some more days, an official said.
“IndiGo is slightly adjusting its flight schedule in the coming days by around 30 flights per day to stabilise the network and operations impacted due to various ongoing Notams and likely bad weather in the coming days,” the airline said in a statement.
A ‘notice to airmen’, or Notam, includes information on potential hazards on a flight route and is given to pilots. The air traffic control (ATC) issues Notam informing restrictions at a particular airport for various reasons. A Notam is usually issued during very bad weather or VIP movements. It is also issued on special says, like the Republic Day.
On Tuesday, IndiGo cancelled 30 flights due to the ongoing pilot shortages. The cancelled flights were mostly from Kolkata, Hyderabad and Chennai, according to a PTI report.
Quoting a source, the report said IndiGo was forcing passengers to either buy last-minute tickets on its other flights or offering them alternate hopping flights with long layovers.
“To avoid inconvenience, these adjustments are being made in advance, enabling adequate notice to passengers. They are being accommodated close to their original flight schedule. These adjustments amount to 1-2 percent of the originally planned flights,” IndiGo said in the statement.
Pilots and cabin crew can’t fly beyond their respective flight duty and time limitations (FDTL), norms regarding which are mandated by the DGCA. According to reports, FDTL issue is also a reason for the pilot shortage.
IndiGo has a fleet size of 209 planes, and it operates around 1,300 daily flights covering 52 domestic and 16 international destinations.