'At a time when airfares are high...': Varun Gandhi says DGCA needs to act tough on repeated incidents of mid-air snags

In recent days, the BJP MP has been openly critical of his party's government at the Centre. Aviation regulator DGCA comes under the Ministry of civil aviation.

Published on: Jul 22, 2022, 12:37:09 IST

By HT News Desk, New Delhi

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BJP MP Varun Gandhi, who has, in recent days, been openly critical of his party's government at the Centre, on Friday said that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) should act tough on repeated incidents of mid-air snags, adding that such incidents are taking place at a time when passengers are already facing inconvenience due to exorbitantly high airfares.

“At a time when fares of domestic flights have nearly doubled, we are seeing daily reports of planes being forced to make emergency landing due to technical issues. It is of great concern that just in the last two months, as many as 17 flights were affected,” Gandhi wrote on Twitter.

“DGCA will have to take some strict action…are we waiting for a major tragedy?” the BJP MP from Pilibhit added, urging the aviation regulator to act tough.

The 42-year-old politician's post came a day after the civil aviation ministry told Rajya Sabha that the Centre does not interfere in regulation of airfares, adding that airlines can fix ‘reasonable tariffs’ taking into account of relevant factors.

Also Read | Airfares not regulated, airlines free to fix ‘reasonable prices’: Centre

The DGCA comes under the Ministry of civil aviation.

After frequent incidents of engineering-related occurrences, the aviation regulator has conducted spot checks and asked domestic carriers to comply, by July 28, with a set of instructions issued by it. Jyotiraditya Scindia, the civil aviation minister, too, has held a series of meetings to discuss the issue with officials and stakeholders.

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