The massive disruption caused by IndiGo’s cancellation of nearly 500 flights triggered sharp political reactions. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the government, calling the crisis “the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model”.
NEW DELHI — The massive disruption caused by IndiGo’s cancellation of nearly 500 flights reverberated in Parliament on Friday, with opposition members accusing the airline of “monopolistic practices” and the “government of regulatory laxity”.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari raised the issue during Zero Hour in the Rajya Sabha, noting that around 500 flights had been cancelled on Wednesday and Thursday, leaving parliamentarians and ordinary citizens stranded.
“The problem has arisen due to the monopoly of one airline. Many members had booked flights to return home for the weekend, but are now facing difficulties. I request the minister in charge to update the House on what steps are being taken,” Tiwari said.
Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju responded that the government was seized of the matter. “Before coming to the House, I spoke to the Civil Aviation Minister. The government is considering the technical problems the airline faces. A detailed response will be prepared as members are concerned,” he assured.
The cancellations, which continued into Friday with more than 400 flights grounded nationwide, triggered sharp political reactions. Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi lashed out at the government, calling the crisis “the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model”.
In a post on X, Gandhi wrote, “Once again, it’s ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness. India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.”
Making a strong pitch for reforms in corporate sector including aviation, the Congress MP said that government must act as a neutral arbiter, not a facilitator of select corporate interests:
The Congress leader also likened the present-day corporate “monopolisation” to colonial-era systems, stating, “INDIA WAS SILENCED by the East India Company. It was silenced not by its business prowess, but by its chokehold. The company choked India by partnering with, bribing. and threatening our more pliant maharajas and nawabs. It controlled our banking, bureaucratic, and information networks. We didn’t lose our freedom to another nation; we lost it to a monopolistic corporation that ran a coercive apparatus.”
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said while speaking to media outside Parliament, “DGCA had earlier given a directive to airlines to enforce a mandatory rest period for flying crew. And when they gave that directive, they should have done an impact assessment. The airline concerned, particularly IndiGo, also knew about the directive well in advance. So this is a failure on both parts of the DGCA and the airline in not complying with the directive that was issued…Why did they not enforce this directive well in time? So there are many questions which need to be answered. So, merely withdrawing the directive and letting the airline go back to the status quo, where they can deploy their personnel under the old regime, does not solve the problem. The answers have to come from the DGCA, from the minister, and from the airline…”
Shiv Sena(UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi also submitted a notice under Rule 180 in the Rajya Sabha, describing the situation as one of “urgent public importance”. She highlighted severe delays of up to seven hours and cancellations at major airports, including Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, citing crew shortages and operational lapses.
“Thousands of passengers were stranded, normal airport functioning was affected, and recurrent large-scale disruptions highlight the need for immediate government intervention and accountability,” she wrote.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu convened a high-level review meeting and expressed displeasure at IndiGo’s handling of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, which the airline admitted had been poorly implemented.
IndiGo wrote on its X handle, “The last two days have seen widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network and operations. We extend a heartfelt apology to all our customers and industry stakeholders who have been impacted by these events. IndiGo teams are working diligently and making all efforts with the support of MOCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the cascading impact of these delays and restore normalcy. We continue to keep our customers apprised of any changes to their scheduled flights and advise them to check the latest status at https://goindigo.in/check-flight-status.html before heading to the airport. IndiGo deeply regrets the inconvenience caused and remains focussed on streamlining its operations at the earliest.”
Meanwhile, passengers across the country continue to face chaos. — With inputs from IANS
