New Delhi [India], December 7 : Congress leader Pawan Khera on Sunday said that the flight disruptions that left passengers stranded across major airports in the country were not only the failure of IndiGo alone, but also the centre's because it allowed the airline to establish a monopoly in the market.
Speaking to ANI, Khera said that IndiGo donated electoral bonds worth Rs 50 crore to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and claimed that no action will be taken on the airline until the Modi government remains in power.
"Isn't this the failure of the government that allowed the monopoly of IndiGo? Kya ye sarkaar ki galti nahi hai ki hafte baad jaagi notice dene? (The government delayed in giving notice by a week.) People couldn't go to their wedding. That is the condition this government has created. This year, Modi's favourite former bureaucrat, Amitabh Kant, joined the board of directors of IndiGo, and the company gave Rs 50 crore worth of electoral bonds to the BJP. Do you think BJP can tackle them? IndiGo knows that no action will be taken against it until Modi government remains," Khera said.
Ealier in the day, Union Minister of State for Civil Aviation and Cooperation Murlidhar Mohol said that they are closely monitoring the situation and have taken immediate action against the airline for not adhering to Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).
Mohol assured that the government is taking the matter very seriously and that action will be taken after the investigation committee's report is submitted.
Speaking to reporters in Pune, Mohol said, "Pilots' Association had demanded that the duty hours should be reduced from 10 hours to 8 hours and for this, reforms be made to FDTL (Flight Duty Time Limitations). The Delhi High Court also gave its approval. After that, we alerted all airlines in the country that we must implement FDTL as per the High Court guidelines in two phases: from 1st July 2025 and from 1st November 2025. All airline companies worked on this, but IndiGo did not take it as seriously as it should have."
He further explained the reason for the recent chaos and said that the DGCA has issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's CEO, and a response is due within 24 hours.
Since last week, the civil aviation industry in India has been hit by massive disruptions, with cancellations, severe delays, and the rescheduling of many flights by IndiGo, primarily due to a sudden shortage of pilots and crew following the implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms issued by the DGCA last year.
This has led to thousands of passengers facing significant inconvenience, long queues, and inadequate facilities, with some stranded at the airport for hours. Passengers have also urged the airline to provide timely updates and support to minimise inconvenience.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formally issued a show-cause notice to IndiGo's Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers--holding the airline accountable for large-scale operational disruptions in recent days and pointing to "significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management."
Meanwhile, the carrier has issued an apology following the disruption, noting that the carrier had "operated a little above 700 flights yesterday connecting 113 destinations".