- The Indian civil aviation industry is considered one of the fastest-growing verticals in the economy, expected to reach hitherto unheard-of heights since the spending power of ordinary Indians has improved considerably, opting to fly rather than travel using the time-tested trains. The moot point to ponder over here is whether the Indian civil aviation, especially domestic airlines, have lived up to the expectations in not only servicing the increasing air travel but also providing necessary amenities for a memorable experience for the travelers. Going by the look of things as witnessed across some of the busiest airports in the country, the answer must be a big no. It’s one thing to talk about India being an aspirational society aiming to be counted amongst the top nations.
PC: Times Now
- However, in the absence of adequate infrastructure to support the aspirations will only mean mere talk without substance to back ambitions. The prevailing chaos around the country’s airports, with hundreds of scheduled flights getting cancelled, scores of travelers stranded, is at their wits’ end trying to come to terms with the depressingly frustrating situations. Come to think of it, the nation’s largest airline, IndiGo, had two years to prepare for new pilot rostering rules. Why it failed to do so is the question. The IndiGo flight disruptions left lakhs of flyers stranded, often without assistance. There were many social media complaints of passengers being kept waiting at airports for over 10 hours, with no clarity on when their flight would take off.
PC: News18
- We know that while winter normally affects flight schedules, weather is not the chief cause of IndiGo’s troubles. Reports say the airline, with 61% market share, is struggling with staff issues. Specifically, it has flown into a crew shortage as a result of new rostering rules that were notified last year, and had to be implemented after several extensions by November 01. The new rules were meant to reduce pilot fatigue, thereby improving flight safety. They increased the weekly rest for pilots, reduced their daily and fortnightly duty hours, besides the number of night landings allowed. It was clear that without careful rostering or hiring more pilots, airlines would face difficulties. IndiGo seems to have overlooked this aspect.
PC: NDTV
- Almost two-thirds of its flight cancellations were due to crew constraints. But instead of quickly remedying the situation, it has allowed it to get out of hand. Its on-time performance slipped from 84% in October to 68% in November, and just 35% in the first few days of December. It’s a tough time for IndiGo, but our sympathies are entirely with its stranded passengers. In a large country like India, aviation is not just any industry. It’s a lifeline, a key to the swift movement of people and goods. People who have business meetings in distant places, job interviews, medical appointments, family emergencies, holiday bookings, etc. India is the third-largest aviation market now, and growing fast, but the happenings of the last few days are absolutely unfortunate.
