India’s Aviation Sector Feels Pressure as DGCA Acts Firmly After IndiGo Cancellations Impact Major Airports Nationwide.

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The Directorate General of Civil Aviation, India’s aviation authority has resorted to an unprecedented action of relieving four senior inspectors. They were responsible for monitoring the operations of IndiGo Airlines due to a large number of cancellations affecting thousands of passengers.

Regulatory Lapses Trigger Immediate Dismissal Of Inspectors

The four FOIs, namely, Rish Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, and Priyam Kaushik, were relieved of their duties with immediate effect on Friday. As per an official government DGCA, the four were responsible for safety and compliance at India’s biggest airline.

FOIs are high-ranking officials responsible for auditing airline operations, ensuring compliance with safety standards, monitoring pilot training and rest schedules, and certifying personnel and procedures. It appears that the termination of the FOI’s contracts leads to an intensified focus on the role of the regulator with regard to readiness for new standards.

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DGCA Deploys Oversight Teams Amid Worsening Crisis

The new rules, which stipulate extended rest times and restricted duties, were put forth with the intention of improving air safety but ended up in a shortage of available flying staff. Consequently, thousands of flights were grounded.

As a measure to address the crisis, oversight teams have been deployed by the DGCA at IndiGo’s Gurugram office to oversee matters pertaining to crew utilization, refunds, and on-time performance. It is expected that these teams will make daily reports to the DGCA.

The senior-most executives at Indigo Airlines have been called several times before the inquiry panel set up by the DGCA. The DGCA has also asked Indigo Airlines to reduce its passenger flights by as much as 10 percent. The airline needs to employ more pilots to meet regulatory norms.

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Can IndiGo Restore Stability Amid Mounting Turmoil?

Passengers have been caused immense disruption as flights have been cancelled on a large scale at prominent airports like Bengaluru, Delhi, Chennai, and Hyderabad. The airline has been offering compensation and working on getting things back on track.

It also reflects an intensification of tensions between India's aviation regulator and low-cost carrier IndiGo on issues of compliance and operational planning. The incident underscores demands for accountability in aviation as safety standards intensify.