Aviation minister addresses Rahul Gandhi's 'monopoly' charge over IndiGo chaos
What's the story
Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has responded to Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's allegations of a "government monopoly model" for the ongoing IndiGo flight cancellations. The minister said this issue is not political but public. He said, "The government has always tried to bring in more competition." "We also introduced legislation to reduce leasing costs, allowing more aircraft to join fleets. So, this is an opportunity...to enter this sector...It would be better if he spoke with complete information," he said.
Flight cancelations
IndiGo crisis: Government's role and Gandhi's criticism
The IndiGo crisis has seen the airline cancel hundreds of flights daily, stranding thousands of passengers across India. The root cause of this chaos is a crew shortage due to IndiGo's failure to implement new flight safety norms aimed at preventing pilot fatigue. These rules increased the amount of mandatory rest per week for pilots from 12 to 48 hours. On Friday, the DGCA placed its Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) orders on hold with immediate effect amid the chaos.
Political blame
Gandhi blames government for IndiGo crisis
Gandhi had earlier blamed the government for the IndiGo crisis, saying it was a result of its "monopoly model." He wrote on X, "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." The Congress leader also called for fair competition in every sector instead of "match-fixing monopolies."