IndiGo COO, Aviation Officials Appear Before Parliamentary Panel
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.
New Delhi: The Chief Operating Officer of the IndiGo airlines, Isidro Porqueras, on Wednesday appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee on transport, tourism and culture. The committee had summoned the official to explain the reasons behind mass flight cancellation in December first week. Civil Aviation Secretary Samir Kumar Sinha led the team of the ministry and Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Representatives of Air India, Air India Express, Akasha and SpiceJet and Airports Authority of India (AAI) and office bearers from the pilot associations also attended the meeting that went on for nearly four-hours.
Sources said both the COO and the DGCA officials were not very forthcoming and the committee found their replies to be "evasive and unconvincing". The IndiGo CEO and COO are already facing inquiry by a DGCA formed a four-member team and the committee has decided to wait for its outcome. Its report is expected to be submitted on December 28.
Sources said a few MPs questioned if 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.
Sources claimed that it appeared that the representatives of the Indigo and DGCA tried to put the blame on technical issues rather than taking responsibility
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.
Sources 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.