Congress MP questions ‘monopoly’ in aviation amid IndiGo disruptions, Kiren Rijiju responds
Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded at several airports amid a wave of cancellations and delays by IndiGo for a fourth straight day.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari raised the issue of IndiGo’s ongoing operational disruptions and flight cancellations in the Upper House on Friday, alleging the issue to a “monopoly” in the aviation sector. Responding to his concerns, Union minister Kiren Rijiju said that the Centre is taking steps to resolve the issues.
Tens of thousands of passengers were left stranded at several airports amid a wave of cancellations and delays by IndiGo for a fourth straight day. More than 1,000 IndiGo flights have been cancelled over the past four days.
It is worth noting that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) withdrew the new weekly roster norm about weekly rest for pilots on Friday, which impacted IndiGo’s operations largely.
Read latest updates related to IndiGo flight disruptions here.
Pramod Tiwari on IndiGo disruptions
Addressing the Rajya Sabha, Tiwari urged civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu to brief Parliament, adding that many MPs may need to travel back to their hometowns over the weekend when there is no sitting.
He said, "More than 500 IndiGo flights were cancelled yesterday, and there were cancellations even the day before. Today is Friday, and many members would like to travel. People have their schedules and will return on Sunday or Monday. This has happened due to the monopoly of a single airline.”
“The minister concerned, who made the rules that caused this problem, should inform the House when the problem will be resolved and whether the government is taking any steps. I am not raising a question that would cause any inconvenience to anybody,” he added.
The wave of flight cancellations has set off a political row, with the Opposition holding the Central government responsible for the situation. Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha (LoP) Rahul Gandhi also blamed what he called the government's “monopoly model.”
“IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model. 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,” he wrote in a post on X.
Kiren Rijiju responds
Replying to Tiwari’s remarks, union minister Kiren Rijiju said the Centre was taking steps to address the issue.
"I talked to the Civil Aviation Minister, and the government is taking the initiative regarding the technical problem in the private airlines. I told him to be ready (with an answer) as MPs would raise concern, and even citizens should have information about it," Rijiju told the House.
Notably, IndiGo told aviation regulators on Thursday that its operational collapse was the result of “misjudgment and planning gaps” in adapting to crew fatigue rules it had two years to prepare for, as its on-time performance fell to a record low of 8.5 per cent.
With inputs from agencies
