New Delhi, March 16 Passengers who were affected by IndiGo's mass flight cancellations in early December have already been compensated with travel coupons worth Rs 163.92 crore, Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday.
In response to supplementary questions during Question Hour, he said the government is taking multiple necessary measures to ensure that such incidents do not recur and that consumers are protected.
Hundreds of IndiGo flights were cancelled during the first week of December due to a shortage of pilots after the deadline for Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) expired. The government has blamed the airline for inadequate planning in implementing the second phase of the FDTL norms, which was cited as the reason for flight disruptions, and had granted a one-time exemption from enforcing the norms.
Responding to a specific query about the IndiGo crisis, the Civil Aviation Minister said that the ministry is taking several measures and is ensuring that this kind of situation does not repeat.
"In terms of compensation, the total number of affected customers was supposed to be 3,64,000. A total of Rs 43.81 crore has already been disbursed to customers after verification, and many more passengers still need to validate their claims according to their travel tickets," he said.
"Furthermore, the Ministry has been in continuous communication with the airlines, emphasizing that more compensation should be provided to passengers for the damage or impact caused," he added.
"Therefore, a gesture of care has also been extended, with travel coupons worth Rs 10,000 being provided. This has already resulted in the distribution of Rs 163.92 crore to passengers. Moreover, we are continuously following up to ensure that passengers can validate their travel times," Naidu said.
Regarding the incident, the minister stated that the DGCA has been in continuous engagement with the airline. "Whenever a new schedule is approved, we have multiple discussions with them," he noted.
"This was a specific instance where new FDTL norms were in place, and it was the airlines that needed to look into their internal operations and determine how many more pilots were needed and how to schedule crew to minimize disruptions," Naidu said.
He stated that the ministry is consulting and discussing with airlines on a daily basis before implementing new norms. "However, even after implementation, we are taking extra precautions to ensure that such a situation does not repeat," he asserted.
"I also need to inform the House that after this incident, we have reviewed the internal operations and have suggested the employment of more pilots," he said.
"More than 246 pilots have been employed by IndiGo in the past three months... We have also increased the operations for Indigo by 10%. Therefore, multiple necessary measures have been taken to ensure that such incidents do not recur," Naidu said.