Crisis-hit airline IndiGo receives tax penalty notice of ₹58.7 crore

IndiGo received a tax penalty notice of ₹58.75 crore on December 11 from the Additional Commissioner of CGST, Delhi South Commissionerate, for the financial year 2020-21, the company announced on Friday.

Earlier today, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) suspended four Flight Operations Inspectors (FOI), who are responsible for overseeing airline safety, pilot training & operational compliance.

According to a circular by the aviation safety regulator, the four-member panel comprises Joint Director General Sanjay Brahamane, Deputy Director General Amit Gupta, senior Flight Operations Inspector Kapil Manglik, and FOI Lokesh Rampal, with a mandate to identify the root causes of widespread operational disruptions at the leading domestic carrier.

IndiGo's operational crisis caused mass cancellations and widespread delays. The airline, which controls over 60 per cent of domestic traffic, cancelled over a thousand flights in the last 10 days, leaving scores of passengers stranded across the country. The airline cancelled over 50 flights from Bengaluru Airport on Friday.

The operational chaos kicked in earlier this month due to the flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules, which came into effect on November 1. The rules expand rest hours, limit night duties, and mandate 48 hours of weekly rest.

Noting that the FDTL rules were implemented after consulting all stakeholders, Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu promised strict action against the airline. Speaking at the upper house of Parliament, he said that no airline, no matter how big, will be allowed to cause hardship to passengers.