Vistara Crisis: DGCA Steps in, Scindia Seeks Report From Airline Amid Flight Cancellations

Vistara apologised to flyers for the disruption caused due to the cancellations. (File photo)

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has stepped in after Vistara passengers complained of several flight cancellations across the country. Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia has sought details from Vistara on flight delays and cancellations. Scindia has asked the airline to submit a report on what is being done to address the situation.

At least 100 flights have been delayed or cancelled due to pilot shortages over the past two days. The DGCA has asked the airline to submit daily information and details on the flights that are being cancelled and delayed.

The airline has also been asked to ensure that the relevant provisions of CAR Section-3, Series M, Part-IV on “Facilities to be provided to passengers by airlines due to denied boarding, cancellation of flights and delays in flights” are complied with like advance information, an option of refund, compensation (if applicable) etc. to the passengers.

Additionally, DGCA officials have said that they are monitoring the situation to ensure compliance of above mentioned CAR and minimise passenger inconvenience.

The Vistara Crisis

Vistara is facing flight delays and cancellations with several pilots having reported sick. The airline has been facing pilot issues since the monthly emoluments for first officers of its A320 fleet were revised after the signing of new contracts.

On Tuesday morning, Vistara cancelled at least 38 flights scheduled to take off from key cities due to shortage of pilots. As many as 15 flights scheduled from Mumbai, 12 from Delhi and 11 from Bengaluru were among those cancelled on Tuesday, as per reports. This came a day after 50 Vistara flights were cancelled.

The airline apologised to its flyers for the disruptions caused. However, it did not provide any details on the number of flight cancellations that would take place. In a statement, a spokesperson of the airline said that Vistara had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons, including unavailability of crew.

“We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network,” the spokesperson said. “We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network,” the spokesperson added.