Facing pilot shortage, IndiGo will continue grounding flights
A pilot shortage is continuing to impact services at India’s largest airline IndiGo.
It says it will ground about 30 flights a day for the next few weeks.
Although it accounts for a small percentage of its 1,000-plus flights a day, the budget carrier is struggling to meet staffing obligations.
It blamed severe weather conditions for adding to disruption.
The pre-emptive cancelations could continue until the end of March, it said.
"Extended duty times made it necessary to re-roster our crew," IndiGo said, and it has informed all affected passengers.
IndiGo is reportedly trying a short-term fix by bringing in up to 100 foreign pilots even though expat senior pilots command a 35% premium compared to their Indian colleagues.
It currently employs about 50 foreign senior pilots.
IndiGo has a huge order book of up to 400 new planes scheduled for delivery in the next few years.
The CAPA Centre for Aviation estimates about 17,000 new pilots are needed in India over the next decade to meet projected air travel demand.
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