DGCA issues show cause notice to IndiGo CEO on flight disruptions

New Delhi: Aviation watchdog DGCA on Saturday issued a show cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers seeking an explanation for the massive flight disruptions, according to sources.

For five days in a row, IndiGo has seen significant flight disruptions with hundreds of flight cancellations and delays, causing hardships to thousands of passengers.

In the notice, the regulator said the large-scale operational failures indicate significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management, the sources said.

“… as the CEO, you are responsible for ensuring effective management of the airline but you have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers,” the notice read.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has also asked Elbers to reply within 24 hours.

The notice also mentioned that the primary cause of the flight disruptions is non-provisioning of adequate arrangements to cater to the revised requirements for smooth implementation of the approved FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations) scheme for the airline.

The regulator has also issued a show cause notice to IndiGo’s Accountable Manager.