SpiceJet Ltd has decided to operate 100 additional flights in the next few days to reduce the disruption caused by IndiGo flight cancellations and delays, according to its chairman.
“What happened is extremely unfortunate and has caused huge inconvenience to passengers… I am sure the government is working hard to ensure that the problem is resolved as soon as possible,” SpiceJet Chairman Ajay Singh told ANI on Friday.
“I am sure IndiGo is doing its best… We (SpiceJet) are trying to help by operating 100 additional flights in the next few days.”
Air travel remained disrupted in India for the fourth day on Friday after InterGlobe Aviation Ltd-run IndiGo canceled more than 1,000 flights across the country “to align crew and aircraft”. CEO Peter Albers said operations were unlikely to return to normal until at least next week.
The disruption has led to chaos at the airports with hordes of stranded passengers expressing their frustration towards the ground staff. Social media is filled with videos of angry passengers, with no end in sight.
SpiceJet’s Singh said, “It is important to find out what happened and why so that we have lessons and ideas for the future so that such incidents do not happen again.”
India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, has ordered an investigation to “probe what went wrong at IndiGo” and determine accountability and recommended measures to prevent such disruptions in the future. New pilot duty rules – so-called flight duty time limits – have also been postponed to help stabilize the airline.
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SpiceJet shares rose 2.54% on Friday Each share settled at Rs 31.11 on BSE, while IndiGo shares fell 1.22% 5,371.30. The benchmark Sensex ended the day 0.52% higher at 85,712.37 points.
