IndiGo will do 'root cause analysis' into flight disruptions; focus now on stabilsing ops: Airline o
New Delhi (PTI): IndiGo will carry out a "root cause analysis" into the flight disruptions that has happened due to a combination of factors and the focus now is to stabilise operations, which is expected by December 10, a senior airline official said on Sunday.
Amid the lack of proper crew planning while implementing the new flight duty norms being cited as a key reason for the significant operational disruptions, the official said the airline has adequate number of pilots and there is no deficiency.
"Our pilot numbers are fine while we may not be have the luxury of having a buffer," the official told PTI.
He also said there has been no hiring freeze amid concerns being raised in certain quarters that lean-operating model might have led to the current situation.
IndiGo has been grappling with significant flight cancellations and disruptions in the last five days and the situation is getting better, with the number of cancellations coming down on Sunday.
The airline, which generally operates around 2,300 flights daily, expects to operate 1,650 flights on Sunday, higher than 1,500 flights that flew on Saturday.
"We will need a root cause analysis, which will obviously take time... the disruptions happened due to a combination of factors and which factor played how much role (will be known after the root cause analysis)," the official said.
Acknowledging that the current situation is a learning experience, the official emphasised that there was no question of inadequacy.
"We are normalising operations and full stability in operations is expected by December 10," the official said.
The second phase of the flight duty time limitations (FDTL) norms for pilots that provides for lesser number of night landings, came into force from November 1. Since then, there have been some operational disruptions at the airline and things turned for the worse this week.
Asked why other airlines are not facing similar issues, the official mentioned that for whatever reason, they had a better buffer than IndiGo in terms of the number of pilots.
"We did not have the same kind of buffer. But that does not mean that there is a question of inadequacy, no. These are two different things," the official said.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued show cause notices to the airline's CEO Pieter Elbers and the Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras, seeking explanations for the flight disruptions.
On whether the current situation of disruptions could have been avoided, the official said, "We will do our root cause analysis... we will do that and then we will come to know (what was the) planning lapse, if at all".
For the fog season, the official said the airline is prepared and there are adequate number of aircraft and pilots. We are confident of managing the fog season.
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CM Siddaramaiah alleges ‘criminal conspiracy’ in Sringeri recount, vows legal action
Bengaluru (PTI): Alleging a “criminal conspiracy” by BJP candidate D N Jeevaraj in the Sringeri Assembly poll recounting, Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah on Tuesday said the outcome was manipulated after valid postal ballot votes in favour of Congress leader T D Raje Gowda were tampered with during the recounting process.
Following a Karnataka High Court order on an election petition filed by Jeevaraj, challenging Raje Gowda’s election, the reverification and recounting were conducted on Saturday.
After the reverification and recount of postal ballots for the Sringeri Assembly constituency, votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda were reduced by 255, the returning officer said.
A report on the matter has been submitted to the Election Commission of India for further action, the officer added.
Congress leader Raje Gowda had won the 2023 Assembly polls from Sringeri by 201 votes, defeating his nearest rival Jeevaraj.
Addressing a press conference in Bengaluru, Siddaramaiah said the High Court had directed the recounting of postal ballots and that irregularities were noticed during the exercise conducted on May 2.
“This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” Siddaramaiah said, alleging that valid votes cast in favour of Raje Gowda were altered after being accepted by counting agents of all parties, including Congress, BJP, and JD(S).
He claimed that during the recounting of postal ballots, 255 votes were initially accepted as valid by all agents but were later tampered with by subordinate officials.
“There is a second mark on the votes polled in favour of Raje Gowda. They had accepted these as valid votes. Subsequently, another mark was made by officials. This is a clear case of criminal conspiracy,” he said.
When asked who was behind the alleged conspiracy, the CM replied, “It was hatched by Jeevaraj and others. It is planned.”
Siddaramaiah further alleged that the returning officer acted improperly by declaring the result despite the presence of an Election Commission observer during the recounting.
“Immediately after the counting, the returning officer announced the result. He should not have done so; this is against the law,” he said.
He pointed out that Raje Gowda had originally won by 201 votes, but after the recounting, the BJP candidate was declared the winner by 52 votes.
“The BJP has committed a criminal act of conspiracy. This is not vote chori but vote dacoity,” he alleged.
The CM said a police complaint had already been filed by Raje Gowda’s election agent, Sudhir Kumar, and emphasised the need for electoral integrity.
“We want transparency and free and fair elections. That is what our Constitution mandates,” he added.
Stating that the government would pursue legal remedies, Siddaramaiah said, “We are preparing an appeal challenging the returning officer’s announcement in a court of law.”
Responding to a separate query on elections in other states, the CM said there appeared to be an anti-incumbency factor in West Bengal, while results in Tamil Nadu were “surprising,” adding that Vijay’s party was emerging as the largest there.
Following the victory of party candidates in Bagalkote and Davanagere South, Siddaramaiah expressed confidence about future electoral prospects in Karnataka.
“Even in 2028, we will win the Assembly elections. We will come back,” the CM said.
Siddaramaiah added that he would order a forensic examination into the alleged tampering of postal ballots.
