Centre seeks detailed report on Vistara flight cancellations, delays; Airline apologises to the customers, promises restoration of stability soon

The Union Civil Aviation Ministry on Tuesday 2 April sought a detailed report from Vistara airline over rampant flight cancellations and delays over the past week. Over 100 Vistara flights have either been cancelled or delayed over the past week, a Civil Aviation Ministry official said.

The disruption in Vistara's flight operations can be attributed to pilots' refusal to operate due to long flying hours, ANI reported citing aviation sources aware of the matter. The development comes hours after the airline confirmed rampant delays and cancellations.

"We have had a significant number of flight cancellations and delays in the past few days due to various reasons including crew unavailability," an airline spokesperson said.

The airline apologised for the delays and cancellations but did not provide any details on the number of flight cancellations. 

The airline has also issued larger aircraft on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers. "We have also deployed larger aircraft like our B787-9 Dreamliner and A321neo on select domestic routes to combine flights or accommodate more number of customers, whenever possible," the airline statement read. 

Notably, Vistara is also providing alternative flight options and/or refunds to customers on a case-by-case basis. The airline also sounded an assuring note as he said operations at regular capacity will resume very soon.

"We are offering alternate flight options or refunds to affected customers, as applicable. Once again, we understand that these disruptions have caused immense discomfort to our customers, and sincerely apologise to them for the same. We are working towards stabilising the situation and will resume operating at our regular capacity very soon," it added.