On Air India recruitment day, 55% IndiGo flights delayed as crew takes 'sick leave'

Fifty-five per cent of IndiGo’s domestic flights were delayed on Saturday (July 2) as a significant number of cabin crew members took ‘sick leave’, with sources in the industry saying they ostensibly went for an Air India recruitment drive.

When asked about this matter, DGCA chief Arun Kumar told PTI on Sunday, “We are looking into this.”

Also read: Fined by DGCA, IndiGo to study how to better handle specially-abled passengers

The phase-2 of Air India’s recruitment drive was conducted on Saturday and majority of IndiGo’s cabin crew members who took ‘sick leave’ went for it, the sources in the industry added.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline, currently operates approximately 1,600 flights – domestic and international – daily.

IndiGo did not respond to the news agency’s request for a statement on the matter.

According to the Ministry of Civil Aviation’s website, 45.2% of IndiGo’s domestic flights operated on time on Saturday.

Also read: DGCA imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on IndiGo for denying boarding to specially-abled child

In comparison, the on-time performances of Air India, SpiceJet, Vistara, Go First and AirAsia India was 77.1%, 80.4%, 86.3%, 88% and 92.3%, respectively, on Saturday.

The Tata Group took control of Air India on January 27, after successfully winning the bid for the airline on October 8 last year.

Air India has started a recruitment drive for fresh cabin crew members as it is planning to buy new planes and improve its services.