SpiceJet has stepped up with 100 extra flights over the next few days to help stranded passengers amid IndiGo’s massive disruptions. Chairman Ajay Singh announced the move on Friday, calling the IndiGo situation “extremely unfortunate” and a huge inconvenience for travellers. The low-cost carrier aims to fill the gap left by IndiGo cancelling over 1,000 flights across India in recent days.
IndiGo, run by InterGlobe Aviation, grounded flights to sort out crew and plane alignments, sparking turmoil at airports nationwide. Operations won’t normalise until at least next week, CEO Pieter Elbers warned, leaving crowds frustrated with ground staff and social media buzzing with angry videos. SpiceJet’s addition comes as the fourth day of chaos unfolded on Friday. Singh praised government efforts to fix the mess quickly and said IndiGo is trying its best. He stressed learning from the episode to prevent repeats, while the Directorate General of Civil Aviation probes what went wrong and holds parties accountable.
Chairman Singh Calls for Lessons from Crisis:
Ajay Singh spoke to ANI on Friday, highlighting the passenger pain from IndiGo’s cancellations and delays. “What happened is extremely unfortunate, and it has caused a huge amount of inconvenience to passengers,” he said. SpiceJet plans to run the 100 additional flights soon to offer relief during the ongoing snarl.
Singh expressed confidence in regulators and IndiGo working hard for a swift resolution. “I am sure the government is working really hard to make sure the problem is resolved at the earliest,” he added. He also noted SpiceJet’s role in helping out: “We are attempting to help by running 100 additional flights over the next few days.”
The chairman pushed for a thorough review to draw future lessons. “It is important to find out what happened and why it happened so that we have lessons for the future and ideas so that these kinds of incidents don’t happen again,” Singh stated.
DGCA Investigation Targets Root Causes:
India’s aviation watchdog, DGCA, ordered an inquiry into IndiGo’s meltdown to pinpoint failures and suggest fixes. The probe will check accountability and recommend steps to avoid such widespread disruptions. New Flight Duty Time Limitations rules, meant to cut pilot fatigue, got paused to let IndiGo stabilise operations.
IndiGo’s chaos snowballed into scenes of packed terminals and vocal passenger anger on Friday, the fourth straight day of trouble. Videos flooded social media showing travellers clashing with staff over refunds and rebookings. CEO Elbers admitted full recovery takes time, with the network still reeling from crew shortages. SpiceJet’s timely flights target key routes hit hardest by IndiGo’s pullbacks.
Market Reacts as Shares Diverge:
On Friday, SpiceJet’s stock rose 2.54 percent to Rs 31.11 on the BSE, overcoming the general airline decline. Due to fears among investors over the extended outage, IndiGo’s stock fell 1.22 percent to Rs 5,371.30. The benchmark Sensex increased by 0.52 percent to 85,712.37 points.
The split performance highlights SpiceJet grabbing opportunity amid rival woes. With IndiGo dominating domestic skies, its stumbles open doors for others like SpiceJet to scoop up demand. Travellers switched carriers in droves, boosting load factors for those with available seats. SpiceJet’s rescue effort highlights industry interdependence during crises. As probes unfold and rules tweak, carriers watch for balance between safety and smooth skies.
