NEW DELHI: IndiGo Airlines, which operates 1,600 domestic and international flights daily, saw nearly 55% of its services delayed on Saturday as scores of crew members did not show up on a day when Air India was conducting walk-in interviews in several cities.
Many of the crew members, who opted for sick leave, are said to have lined up for the Tata Group-owned carrier’s interviews in metros such as Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Hyderabad and Bengaluru. As a result, pilots inside many IndiGo planes and passengers at terminals kept waiting for their Saturday flights to take off and a few flights had to be cancelled, said sources.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report from India’s largest airline (by passenger carriage) — that over the years built a reputation for punctuality — on the sudden and sharp dip. Comments from IndiGo were sought and awaited till the time of going to press.
