IndiGo COO, aviation officials appear before Par panel; replies 'evasive, unconvincing'
New Delhi (PTI): A parliamentary panel examining the recent air traffic disruptions tried to fix responsibility for Indigo's mass cancellation of flights as senior aviation officials and IndiGo COO Isidro Porqueras appeared before it on Wednesday, but found the replies of the airline and DGCA "evasive and unconvincing", according to sources.
The Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture, chaired by JD(U) leader Sanjay Jha, did not come to any conclusion and decided to wait for the report of the ongoing inquiry of the Civil Aviation Ministry before fixing the onus for the chaos that left thousands of travellers stranded across the country's airports, the sources said.
Some of the MPs questioned whether the ministry was unprepared for such a situation following the implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms or if it was an "arms-twisting technique" adopted by Indigo to get the exemption for the new routine, the sources said.
The replies of the representatives of the Indigo and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCAO) were "evasive and unconvincing" and they tried to put the blame on technical issues rather than taking responsibility, a source privy to the discussions in the meeting said.
The committee did not take any view and decided to wait till the report of the ongoing investigation ordered by the civil aviation ministry comes, the sources said.
The ministry has constituted a four-member committee to review the circumstances leading to the massive operational disruptions. Its report is expected to be submitted on December 28.
A team of officials led by IndiGo's Chief Operating Officer (COO) Isidro Porqueras represented the airline, while Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha led the team of the ministry and DGCA.
Representatives of Air India, Air India Express, Akasha and SpiceJet also attended the nearly four-hour-long meeting.
The members said the panel has taken serious note of the difficulties faced by thousands of passengers due to disruption in air services.
Even parliamentarians, who were in the national capital for the Winter Session, faced the brunt of flight cancellations by IndiGo and delays by other airlines, a panel member said.
Several MPs also received complaints from people about air fares shooting up due to the scenario.
IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights for days beginning December 2 across the country. Aviation regulator DGCA has served notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Porqueras, seeking their explanation.
In a statement, IndiGo had said the Board of Interglobe Aviation, its parent company, has set up a Crisis Management Group, "which is meeting regularly to monitor the situation".
"The company's Board of Directors is doing everything possible to take care of the challenges faced by its customers and ensure refunds to passengers", it said.
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Real Madrid fines Valverde and Tchouaméni half a million euros each for altercation
Barcelona (AP): Real Madrid slapped players Federico Valverde and Aurélien Tchouaméni with half-a-million-euro ($588,000) fines on Friday for their altercation during practice.
The massive fines came a day after the midfielders tussled when the team trained. Valverde said in a post on social media on Thursday that no punches were thrown. But Valverde knocked his head on a table and he suffered a small cut that required a brief hospital visit.
On social media, Valverde initially called it a “meaningless fight” with a teammate and said “everything has been blown out of proportion."
His employers, however, considered it a significant enough breach of team discipline to nail both Valverde and Tchouaméni with fines that bite even the bank account of a top soccer player. The half-a-million euro penalties reflect the reputational damage the club was enduring in a chaotic end to a disappointing season.
In a statement, the 15-time European champion said its disciplinary action was concluded after both players expressed to the club “their complete remorse for what happened and apologized to one another.”
Madrid added they also apologized to their teammates, the coaching staff and club supporters, as well as showing their willingness to accept whatever disciplinary action the club deemed “opportune.”
Tchouaméni was back training with Madrid on Friday, two days before they play at Barcelona in a clasico. Madrid has to win otherwise Barcelona will be crowned La Liga champion.
After being notified of the fine, he posted a public apology to the club and its fans on social media.
“What happened this week in training is unacceptable,” Tchouaméni wrote. "I say this while thinking about the example we are expected to set for young people, whether in football or at school.
“Above all, I am sorry for the image we projected of the club.”
Valverde was not at practice due to the head knock.
Both players are set to play in the World Cup next month, with Tchouaméni playing for France and Valverde for Uruguay.
Chaotic end to a poor season
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The run-in between the players, who for seasons have played side by side in Madrid's midfield, came after they argued this week in previous training sessions. But tempers boiled over on Thursday. Spanish media was rife with reports that the players previously disagreed over the club's decision to let coach Xabi Alonso go after just months on the job.
It was not the only altercation involving Madrid players during training this week. Álvaro Carreras confirmed he was in a “minor” incident with a teammate. Spanish media said he and fellow defender Antonio Rüdiger got into a scuffle.
Álvaro Arbeloa, the coach who was promoted from Madrid's reserve team when Alonso was fired in January, will face tough questions on what went wrong inside the changing room when he gives a press conference on Saturday ahead of the clasico at Camp Nou.
Madrid is facing a second consecutive campaign without a major trophy amid rumors in the Spanish media that club president Florentino Pérez is considering bringing back Jose Mourinho to straighten out his underperforming team.
