Cong MP pins blame on Aviation Ministry, IndiGo for current mess

Hyderabad: BhongirMP Chamala Kiran Kumar Reddy expressed deep concern over the hardships faced by air passengers across the country, holding IndiGo Airlines’ negligence and the Centre’s failure to enforce aviation regulations responsible for the ongoing crisis. The MP demanded that the Central Government and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu answer to the people.

He asked the Centre to take strict action against IndiGo Airlines, holding both the Aviation Ministry and IndiGo responsible for negligence towards passenger safety and convenience.

In a statement issued on Sunday, MP Kiran Kumar Reddy stated that passengers across India travelling on IndiGo flights are suffering due to the airline’s irresponsible attitude. Last year, DGCA introduced new regulations, but IndiGo exerted pressure on the Central Government to delay their implementation. IndiGo resisted the new norms because it would require the airline to hire more pilots and staff. With over 60% market share in India’s aviation sector, the airline continued legal battles and delays to avoid compliance. “When the Centre wanted to enforce the new rules, it should have evaluated key aspects—whether IndiGo has adequate staff, how many aircraft it operates, and how many passengers it books every day,” the MP emphasized.

MP said that IndiGo believed it could not be subjected to strict regulations due to its sheer market dominance. The airline assumed that if its flights stopped, the entire country would suffer, forcing the Central Government to bow down—and that is exactly what happened. The Government has now backed off and granted exemptions until February next year, putting passenger safety and convenience at risk. The MP questioned why the Centre failed to verify whether airlines had recruited the required pilots and personnel mandated under the new DGCA rules.

He said that as a result, air passengers across the nation are facing severe difficulties. In emergency situations, tickets that normally cost`10,000 shot up to`60,000–`70,000—a direct consequence of the Centre’s mishandling. IndiGo is simply offering refunds and trying to wash its hands of the crisis. But passengers who accept refunds are unable to rebook flights because airfares have skyrocketed. In many cases, people were left unable to travel for days due to flight disruptions.