What caused the IndiGo crisis? External aviation expert to examine root cause of flight disruptions- The Week

An external aviation expert is set to examine the root cause of the IndiGo crisis that led to the recent flight disruptions and the resultant chaos.

IndiGo’s board, on Friday, announced the appointment of the expert team even as InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, has already set up a crisis management group amid the operational disruptions that began on December 2.

“Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran aviation expert, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors,” a statement from the airline read.

The independent aviation expert will begin the review at the earliest and submit a comprehensive report to the board. “The objective is to conduct an independent root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, besides opportunities for improvement,” the statement read.

The move comes even as the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is probing the flight disruptions and stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo’s operations. DGCA has suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOIs) over the disruptions.

Meanwhile, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is already examining if IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of over 65 per cent, violated competition norms. Section 4 of the Competition Act pertains to abuse of dominance that can be exploitative or exclusionary. Exploitative refers to acts such as excessive pricing, while denial of market access will fall under the exclusionary segment.

Since last week, IndiGo has cancelled thousands of flights nationwide after failing to plan for tighter safety regulations. The cancellations peaked on December 5 and have declined since.