- IndiGo was forced to land 30 planes in its fleet of 258 aircraft following the government’s decision to ban international flights for a week.
IndiGo was forced to land 30 planes in its fleet of 258 aircraft following the government’s decision to ban international flights for a week as part of the coronavirus outbreak intervention, a source said Friday. IndiGo operates through airports in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, South Asia, China, and Turkey to 24 international destinations.
“After the government’s declared temporary suspension of all foreign operations for a week from 22 March, IndiGo has grounded up as many as 30 aircraft in its fleet. Most of these planes were being deployed on overseas routes, “PTI was told by the airline source.
Of the fleet’s 258 aircraft, IndiGo has 13 CEOs and NEOs of the Airbus A321, 220 A320, and 25 regional jets. In addition to the longer-range A321, IndiGo also operates some of the A320s (CEOs) on international routes as well.
In a statement, IndiGo did not confirm or deny the figure, saying the situation remains fluid but adding that some of its aircraft are underused.
“The situation remains fluid, and a definite number can not be given at this stage,” IndiGo spokesperson said to PTI in a statement. “IndiGo has had to cancel a number of foreign services because of government restrictions and a proportion of our aircraft is underutilized,” the airline said.
Aviation consultancy CAPA said earlier this week that Indian carriers were likely to initially ground about 150 aircraft following foreign flight cancellations as the coronavirus pandemic shock will be much deeper and much longer.
This came after news where Ronojoy Dutta, CEO of IndiGo, told employees on Thursday about a company-wide top-down 5 percent-25 percent salary cut in a cost-cutting exercise in response to the coronavirus crisis that has crippled airline operations in India and around the world.
Dutta said he was taking a 25 percent cut in an email, while other executives above the rank of senior vice president will take cuts of 20 percent. Vice-presidents and pilots would have to take a 15 percent cut, while others, including the cabin crew, would be in 5 percent -10 percent.
The travel industry has got the most burn of Corona Virus outbreak with all the countries banning visits of anyone and also domestic travel taking the toll due to the social distancing. Due to corona, most of the airlines have to cancel their flights and halt their operations with passengers also avoiding to travel.
