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Cabin crew ‘shortage’ sent IndiGo punctuality plunging Saturday; DGCA seeks report from airline – Times of India

NEW DELHI: A sudden cabin crew shortage led to hundreds of IndiGo flights getting delayed on Saturday (July 2). Union aviation ministry data shows only 45% of IndiGo flights were able to operate on time (within 15 minutes of scheduled departure time) on Saturday.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has sought a report from the airline — which over the years built a reputation for punctuality — on the sudden, sharp dip.

Source: Aviation ministry website
Incidentally, Tata Group Air India and AI Express have been conducting walk-in interviews for hiring cabin crew these days. Industry insiders say a significant percentage of IndiGo cabin crew no shows this weekend may have been due to them going for AI walk-in interviews.
Comments from IndiGo have been sought and are awaited.
In the past few months, crew discontent has been brewing amid IndiGo over continued pandemic time pay cuts. To be sure, the post-Omicron revival in domestic traffic has been sharply hit by surging fuel prices that forced airlines to raise airfares.
On July 2, 2022, several IndiGo flights were delayed waiting for cabin crew. Ministry data shows that 2,591 domestic and 46 international flights operated on Saturday. The on-time performance of different airlines Saturday was: AirAsia India at 98.3%, GoFirst at 88%, Vistara at 86.3%, SpiceJet at 80.4% and Air India at 77.1%. IndiGo was at the bottom at 45.2%, possibly its worst ever figures.
“A large number of cabin crew members were on leave. This almost mass leave saw OTP plunging,” said sources.