IndiGo said on Saturday it operated 1,500 flights by end of the day. “Over 95% of network connectivity has been re-established as we have been able to operate 135 of the existing 138 destinations,” the airline said.
IndiGo’s Recovery
Ending months of a hiring freeze, IndiGo also resumed recruitment for captains and senior first officers (type-rated) for its Airbus A320 fleet on Saturday.
The move coincided with a temporary waiver from the regulator on compliance with new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms. On December 6, the airline issued a recruitment call for A320 captains and above. Only Indian nationals and Overseas Citizen of India cardholders below the age of 55 can apply, with a requirement of at least 200 hours of flying experience as first officer on the A320 family post line release, along with an accident- and incident-free record.
For senior roles, Indian nationals or OCI cardholders below the age of 62 must have a total of 3,000 flying hours, including a minimum of 100 hours as pilot-in-command post line release on the A320 family.
IndiGo’s on-time performance had plunged to 3.7% on Friday as the airline grappled with an acute staff shortage.
Capping Chaos
Also, as the government moved to cap domestic airfares, Air India, the country’s second-largest airline, on Saturday said it had already been limiting fares on domestic routes. In a statement, the airline clarified that it has been capping economy fares on all non-stop domestic flights since December 4.
The government’s directive followed widespread chaos in air travel, with domestic airfares surging, even tripling or quadrupling, for major routes. For instance, a non-stop Delhi–Mumbai fare climbed to Rs 65,500, while one-stop itineraries were selling for up to Rs 50,000. Air India, in its statement, also acknowledged that screenshots circulating online showing significantly higher fares were mostly for multi-stop itineraries or combinations involving different cabin classes.
Amid the travel chaos, the airline said it was working to increase capacity to ease the burden on passengers. “Air India and Air India Express are seeking to add capacity to help travellers and their baggage reach their destinations as quickly as possible,” it said.
