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Management failure, hoarding of airport slots by Indigo responsible for chaos: ALPA India

NEW DELHI: Close on the heels of the Federation of Indian Pilots (FIP) lashing out at Indigo on Wednesday for the freeze on pay as well as hiring of pilots, another leading organisation, the Association of Indian Pilots, on Thursday said the spate of cancellations raise significant questions about the airlines management, the regulatory oversight by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation and the alleged slot hoarding' tactics by the airline. In a release on behalf of the organisation, Capt. Sam Thomas, President, ALPA India, charged, The core question is whether airlines current pilot shortage is due to a failure in planning or a calculated strategy. It is more likely a combination of factors. Slot hoarding and arm-twisting tactic Aviation experts have suggested that the resulting delays and cancellations across airlines could be an immature pressure tactic to arm-twist the regulator for further relaxations or dispensations in the new FDTL norms, thereby compromising the original, stricter safety intent, the ALPA president alleged. Captain Thomas charged Indigo of engaging in 'slot hoarding' at the airports. Slot hoarding refers to a practice wherein airlines pre-book an excess of slots at the runways they operate for the take-off and landing of their flights in order to prevent competitors from making use of them. Thomas also explained that slot allocation is based on historical usage known in aviation language as Grandfather Rights. This permits an airline to keep a specific slot for it continuously provided it has used the slot for atleast 80% of the time in one season. 'Could not live up to promise,' says IndiGo CEO amid hundreds of flight cancellations, delays By increasing the number of flights in their winter schedule, it has potentially hoarded premium slots which rivals would have liked and then failed to operate them satisfactorily. It suggests a misuse of the process, intentionally or not, he charged Under the Slot Recapture Policy, the DGCA has the mechanism to revoke the slots and reallocate them to other airlines.It could be done to Air India, which is in an expansion phase, as well as Akasa Air, which has an excess of pilots. The Association urged the DGCA to actively consider the adequacy of pilots available with an airline while granting slots and approving their schedules in the spirt of transitioning to the recent concept of Fatigue Risk Management System (FRMS). The ALPA also charged the airline of an initial managerial underestimation or delay in the strategic planning necessary to provision crew accordingly. Despite sufficient time being accorded, most Airlines, started preparing rather late, failing to properly adjust crew roster, he added. All airlines, including IndiGo, were aware of the revised rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitation FDTL) norms, issued by the DGCA in January 2024 (with a phased implementation starting later, for example, the second phase from November 1). Indigo cancels over 200 flights in single day due to 'crew shortage'; 'shut down,' say enraged passengers