NEW DELHI (AP) — India’s aviation regulator has temporarily lifted restrictions on airline crew duty hours, days after IndiGo, the country’s largest carrier, scrambled to resume normal service following an order that disrupted operations at the country’s major airports.
The new rules require crews and pilots to take longer rest periods and limit night flying times to address fatigue and safety concerns. India’s civil aviation ministry said late on Friday that the new suspended rules would come into effect immediately.
“Without compromising aviation safety, this decision has been taken solely in the interest of passengers, especially the elderly, students, sick people and others who rely on timely air travel to meet their basic needs,” the health ministry said in a statement.
Friday was the fourth consecutive day of disruption, with low-cost carrier IndiGo struggling with rule changes. Passengers slept on the airport floor, queued for hours at customer service desks and waited without clear communication from the airlines in a frustrating scene.
The first phase of the rules came into effect in July, and the second phase of the rules began in November. IndiGo struggled to adjust its roster on time, leading to widespread cancellations and disruptions.
On Thursday, more than 300 IndiGo flights were grounded and hundreds more were delayed. A warning issued by Delhi Airport to passengers on Friday said that all IndiGo domestic flights will continue to be canceled till midnight. Other major airlines, including Air India, have not faced similar issues so far.
IndiGo operates about 2,300 flights daily and controls nearly 65% of India’s domestic aviation market.
Senior Sajal Bose was planning to travel to New Delhi from Kolkata with his wife Senjuti Bose early on Friday to attend a friend’s silver jubilee celebrations. His flight was canceled an hour before it was scheduled to depart.
Bose told The Associated Press that he will now take a nine-hour train ride to the city of Bagdogra, where he plans to catch another airline’s flight to New Delhi. “It’s very irresponsible and completely negligent. It’s very difficult for seniors like us,” he said.
IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers apologized in an internal email sent to employees this week and cited technical glitches, schedule changes, bad weather conditions, increased congestion and the implementation of new rules as reasons for the disruption.
Previously, the Ministry of Civil Aviation said in a statement that the flight disruption was mainly caused by the airline’s misjudgment and planning flaws when implementing the new phase two regulations. The airline admitted that the impact on crew strength was greater than they expected.
IndiGo sought a temporary exemption from the implementation of the new rules and told the government that corrective measures were underway, indicating that operations would be fully restored by February 10.
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AP video journalist Piyush Nagpal in New Delhi contributed to this report.
