DGCA Calls Out Vistara On Flight Cancellations, Asks For Report On The Delays

The directive comes as Vistara cancelled 50 flights on Monday owing to staff shortages caused by multiple first officers requesting sick leaves. The cancellations on Tuesday could be as high as 70

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation called on Vistara on Tuesday to submit a daily report explaining the recent flight cancellations and delays at the carrier. The civil aviation watchdog asked the airline to explain the situation and said that it is monitoring things to ensure minimum inconvenience to the passengers. 

The directive comes as Vistara cancelled 50 flights on Monday owing to staff shortages caused by multiple first officers requesting sick leaves, reported PTI. The report also stated that the cancellations on Tuesday could be as high as 70, citing sources familiar with the matter. 

The DGCA officials noted that they are overseeing the whole situation to make sure that the carrier complies with the requirements for catering to the passengers in case of flight cancellations and delays. 

Reason Behind The Cancellations

The staff shortage was caused by the non-availability of pilots for the carrier. The report cited sources and said that the carrier has been plagued by pilot issues ever since it revised the monthly salary structure for the first officers of its A320 fleet after the signing of new contracts. The pay revision led to multiple first officers putting in sick leave requests as a form of protest.

Explaining the concern amongst the pilots, the source said that the airline has reduced the salaries of the first officers significantly. Some salary components have been reduced while the airline has increased the incentives related to flying hours, the source added. 

Airline’s Response

A spokesperson for the airline informed that the carrier had to cancel the flights due to a number of delays in the recent days, caused by several factors such as the 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 via a statement. They added that measures are being taken to manage the situation and the carrier will soon resume normal operations. 

The airline also expressed apologies for the disruptions, however, it didn’t disclose any details regarding the number of flight cancellations. The spokesperson expressed, “We have decided to temporarily reduce the number of flights we operate, to ensure adequate connectivity across our network. Further, the airline has deployed larger aircraft like B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, wherever possible.”

They added that the airline is arranging alternate flight options for the affected customers or offering refunds to them.