DGCA sacks four Flight Operations Inspectors amid IndiGo flight crisis

According to the notice issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, four Flight Operation Inspectors who had been dismissed are Rish Raj Chatterjee, Seema Jhamnani, Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, and Priyam Kaushik.

The notice read, "Consequent upon approval of the Competent Authority, the following Fols under various categories, on contract basis, in DGCA are hereby relieved from DGCA with immediate effect to join their respective parent organisations: Rish Raj Chatterjee, Consultant [Dy. CFOI(A)], Seema Jhamnani, SFOI(A), Anil Kumar Pokhariyal, Consultant[FOI(A)], and Priyam Kaushik, Consultant[FOI(A)].

Meanwhile, a special four-member Committee of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) will meet with IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers today to question the latter on the widespread cancellation of flights in the last week.

The four-member Committee has been constituted to examine the flight disruptions caused by IndiGo, which have created complete chaos at various airports.

DGCA has increased scrutiny of the airline following widespread flight cancellations and delays, and has taken several steps to ensure smooth operations.

Earlier, the DGCA issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers after widespread cancellations. The airline, responding to the Show Cause notice, requested additional time to respond, stating that it is "realistically not possible to pinpoint the exact cause(s)" at this time, given the "complexity and vast scale of operations."

Earlier this week, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu informed the Lok Sabha that the flight operations were stabilising fast with airports reporting no "crowding or distress".

He said that the safety in Civil Aviation remains non-negotiable.

Meanwhile, acknowledging the challenges faced by passengers, IndiGo on Thursday noted that travellers from December 3 to December 5 experienced extended delays and were stranded at several airports due to heavy congestion.

IndiGo has offered travel vouchers worth Rs 10,000 to severely impacted customers over the past few days, which can be used for any future IndiGo journey within the next 12 months. (ANI)