IndiGo’s technicians approached aircraft manufacturer Airbus complaining that their employer was not following standard maintenance procedures, risking passengers’ safety, a charge denied by the airline amid a simmering conflict between both sides.
The letter written by the All-India Aircraft Technicians on July 12 asked Airbus to intervene so as to avoid any untoward incidents with aircraft supplied by the manufacturer.
“I request you to kindly intervene in this matter and ask the operators to share maintenance data of the past seven days,” the letter said.
Calling the allegation baseless, IndiGo said, “IndiGo follows the highest standards of aircraft maintenance and adheres to all regulatory norms. Such allegations are completely baseless and are being spread with malicious intent.”
It added, “We have a fleet of over 280 aircraft with high operational availability, making it one of the safest airlines in the world. We are committed to providing an on-time, affordable, safe and a courteous and hassle-free service to all our customers.”
The technicians said in the letter that “... the operators to whom you have leased your aircraft are not following standard procedure of maintenance. From the past four days technical staff are on strike and still they are flying the aircraft without proper maintenance and even they are deferring the scheduled maintenance”.
{{/usCountry}}The technicians said in the letter that “... the operators to whom you have leased your aircraft are not following standard procedure of maintenance. From the past four days technical staff are on strike and still they are flying the aircraft without proper maintenance and even they are deferring the scheduled maintenance”.
{{/usCountry}}Also Read: IndiGo's technicians protest against low salaries, go on sick leave
When contacted, an Airbus spokesperson said, “We do not comment on the operations of our customers.”
A Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) official told HT that the situation had improved as they had conducted checks.
Confirming this, Arun Kumar, director general, DGCA, said, “We have carried out spot checks to ascertain and have found things in order. The issue stands resolved and the operations normal.”
The technicians pointed out that the improper maintenance can have a major impact and cause serious damage to Airbus’s image in the international market. Naming a couple of airline officials who allegedly are responsible for the situation, the technicians said, “They have downgraded the maintenance standards of your aircraft. You can directly question them for improper handling of aircraft.”
A day after this letter, IndiGo on Wednesday terminated the services of a few technicians who participated in the strike. However, it could not be ascertained if the letter had any bearing on the decision.
“As business recovers, we are in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration. This is an ongoing activity and we will continue to take employee feedback in the process,” an IndiGo spokesperson had then said.
This came after several aircraft technicians reported sick and skipped work to press for salary hikes. Very few technicians reported for the night shift at the Delhi and Hyderabad airports last Saturday. A week before that, the budget carrier’s flight operations were hit by en masse leave when employees opted to appear for walk-in recruitment interviews at rival Air India.