Amid the ongoing flight disruptions due to foggy conditions at the country’s major airports, IndiGo Airlines’ Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers on Thursday (January 18) said that he expects the entire operation to come back to normal by the weekend and in due course of next week.
While speaking on the issue of fog-related disruptions in northern India, the IndiGo CEO called the blanket of deep fog in northern India a “challenge”.
“If you see, I am sure all of you have seen that we had probably the worst fog in many years. Many of our stations in northern India were severely impacted by the fog situation. If northern India is under a blanket of deep fog, we are having a challenge,” Elbers said.
“I would expect that the cancellation (of flights) setting is completely back to normal, provided no more fog. But we can patrol a lot of things in life, but that, we can’t. But it should be completely back to normal, I would say, by the weekend and in due course of next week, I do expect that our entire operation should be back to normal,” the IndiGo CEO added.
Flight delay and cancellations due to fog
Meanwhile, the prevailing fog led to numerous flight delays and a few cancellations. IMD data reported that dense fog significantly impacted flight operations at Indira Gandhi International Airport, reducing visibility to 50 to 100 meters from 12 am to 6.30 am on Thursday.
IndiGo pilot assault incident
Elbers condemned the incident of alleged assault against an IndiGo pilot on board and said all that happened is not acceptable. “It is not acceptable. It is unacceptable. It (matter) is with the authorities now,” IndiGo CEO said.
Earlier, on January 14, an unsettling incident unfolded at Delhi Airport when a passenger physically assaulted the pilot of an IndiGo flight during an announcement about a departure delay. Subsequently, the accused passenger was designated as ‘unruly,’ as stated by the airline in a press release on Monday.
IndiGo confirmed that the accused passenger has been handed over to local law enforcement agencies for further legal proceedings. The press statement outlined the incident, stating – On January 14, 2024, during the announcement of a flight delay by the first officer of flight 6E2175, a passenger assaulted the first officer. As per protocol, the passenger was declared unruly and handed over to the local law enforcement agencies for further action.
Additionally, the airline disclosed that an internal committee has been convened to address the matter, and the possibility of including the passenger in the ‘no-fly list’ is currently under consideration. Emphasizing the importance of passenger and crew safety, the statement affirmed a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of unacceptable behavior.