Hitting out at the Centre over IndiGo cancelling hundreds of its domestic and international flights, Congress MP Rahul Gandhi said on Friday that this was the result of government's 'monopoly model'. In a post on micro-blogging website X (formerly Twitter), the Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha said the country needs a 'fair competition' in each sector and not 'match-fixing monopolies'.
"IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model," the MP from Uttar Pradesh's Rae Bareli said. "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."
Gandhi's remark comes at a time when IndiGo, India's largest airline, is going through a crisis that has resulted in it cancelling hundreds of flight. On Friday alone, the airline has cancelled more than 400 flights, while many others have been delayed. More than 220 flights were cancelled at the Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport in Delhi alone, while over 100 were cancelled at the Kempegowda International Airport in Bengaluru.
Besides, 90 flights were also cancelled at the Rajiv Gandhi International Airport in Hyderabad.
IndiGo, which has blamed the shortage of cabin crew and other factors for the crisis, has apologised to the commuters. It has also briefed the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) over the situation, seeking relaxation from the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. The aviation regulator has said it is reviewing IndiGo's request, adding it is continuously monitoring the situation.
Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, who also held a high-level meeting on Thursday in this regard, has also warned IndiGo, which said it expects that the situation will likely normalise by February 10, 2026. "I have instructed the DGCA and concerned officials at the Ministry to keep a close watch on the network and directed Indigo to normalize the operations at the earliest," Naidu posted on X.
