IndiGo’s largest airline said on Friday that the company’s board has appointed veteran aviation expert Captain John Illson led by Chief Aviation Advisors LLC to conduct the “root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption” that left many passengers stranded at many airports across the country this month. According to PTI, the airline appointed, “Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by veteran aviation expert Captain John Illson, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors. The objective is to conduct an independent root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, in addition to opportunities for improvement.” Who is Captain John Illson? Captain Illson has more than four decades of experience in aviation, having worked with the FAA, ICAO, IATA and major global carriers, ANI reported citing an official statement from the airline, adding that he is recognized for his extensive expertise in global aviation strategy, customized consultancy, safety leadership, establishment of international standards and new aircraft technologies in the air transport sector, which reflects his track record of air transport. The airline’s spokesman said: “With the Board’s approval now in place, the review will commence at the earliest, and the independent expert reviewer will submit a comprehensive report to the Board on completion.” IndiGo crisis The airline had earlier pointed to some tentative factors contributing to the disruption, including recent amendments to the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) order. IndiGo stated that it is “realistically not possible to ascertain the exact cause(s) at this stage due to the “complexity and large scale of operations.” The airline also mentioned that the DGCA’s manual allows a 15-day timeline for SCN responses, indicating that more time is needed to complete a thorough ‘root cause analysis’ (RCA). “The full RCA will be shared once it is done,” the airline said. Quoting DGCA from IndiGo’s reply to the show cause notice, the FDTL order, IndiGo highlighted other contributing factors including “minor technical glitches, schedule changes, [and] adverse weather conditions.” Meanwhile, a four-member special committee of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) today summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers to question him about the widespread flight cancellations last week. DGCA has intensified its investigation into the airline following the operational chaos and has taken various measures to ensure that operations were smoother, Pieter-CA informed the DGCA earlier. after the widespread cancellations The airline requested additional time, stating that it is currently “realistically not possible to determine the exact cause(s) given the “complexity and large scale of operations” also offered travel vouchers worth ₹10,000 to seriously affected passengers over the past few days IndiGo board probed on Friday as an external aviation expert for flight disruptions, has more than four decades of experience in aviation, after working with the FAA, ICAO, IATA and major global carrier worked, an official statement read IndiGo also offered travel vouchers worth ₹ 10,000 which has been severely affected in the last few days.