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IndiGo Flight Chaos: The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) extended the deadline for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to respond to the show-cause notices about flight disruptions. On Sunday, the DGCA granted an additional 24 hours, with the new deadline set for 6 PM on Monday. This extension followed a request from the airline, citing operational challenges caused by widespread disruptions at airports and the scale of its extensive national network.

The two executives had initially been asked to provide their replies by Sunday evening in the show-cause notices issued on Saturday. However, the deadline was extended after both Elbers and Porqueras sought more time due to operational issues stemming from the magnitude of disruptions at several airports.

IndiGo has faced significant operational disruptions for six consecutive days, leading to numerous flight cancellations and delays that affected thousands of passengers. As a result, the DGCA issued the show-cause notices to seek an explanation for the ongoing disruptions.

IndiGo Flight Cancellations: What We Know So Far

- DGCA granted a 24-hour extension for IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras to submit their responses to the show-cause notices regarding flight disruptions, with the new deadline set for 6 PM on Monday.

- IndiGo had to cancel over 650 flights, but operations were gradually stabilizing as cancellations decreased. The airline processed more than Rs 610 crore in ticket refunds for affected passengers.

- IndiGo will carry out a "root cause analysis" into flight disruptions that continued for the sixth consecutive day, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol said passengers have endured mental harassment and distress due to the operational crisis and assured that steps are being taken to ensure accountability is fixed.

- IndiGo's parent company, InterGlobe Aviation, established a Crisis Management Group (CMG) to monitor the situation.

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- IndiGo on Sunday said it is on track to stabilise its network by December 10, reporting significant improvements in flight operations following days of large-scale disruptions, which led to flight delays and cancellations, leaving passengers facing significant inconvenience, with some stranded at the airport for hours.

- The Civil Aviation Ministry has been taking measures to mitigate the crisis, such as capping airfares and directing IndiGo to expedite ticket refunds. On Sunday, the Ministry reported that air travel operations across the country are stabilizing rapidly.

- IndiGo's flight operations increased from 706 on Friday to 1,565 on Saturday, with expectations to reach up to 1,650 by the end of Sunday. By Saturday, IndiGo had processed Rs 610 crore in refunds and returned 3,000 pieces of luggage to passengers.

- Despite stabilizing operations, IndiGo still had 650 flights canceled on Sunday, including 118 at Delhi airport and 121 at Mumbai airport.

- In a video message to the staff, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said, "step by step, we are getting back" and that the airline's on time performance (OTP) is expected to be 75 per cent.

- Lack of proper crew planning while implementing the new flight duty norms is being cited as a key reason for the significant operational disruptions.

- According to the Ministry, other domestic airlines were operating at full capacity without disruptions, and IndiGo's operations showed gradual improvement by Sunday, moving closer to normal flight schedules.

- The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) directed IndiGo to clear all pending refunds for canceled or disrupted flights by 8:00 PM on Sunday, December 7.

- To assist passengers, the Ministry of Railways and IRCTC set up a helpdesk at Ahmedabad's Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.

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- At Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) in Delhi, authorities reported that flight operations were "steadily resuming and getting back to normalcy."

- With IndiGo commanding over 65 per cent of India's domestic market, the disruptions set off a nationwide domino effect, overwhelming airports and leaving rival carriers unable to absorb the surge of displaced travellers.

- Terminals were flooded with desperate, angry passengers, while thousands of pieces of baggage lay strewn across arrival and departure halls.

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