Rahul Gandhi Criticises Centre’s Monopoly After IndiGo Cancels Flights Over Crew Shortages
Rahul Gandhi criticises the Centre’s monopoly as IndiGo cancels hundreds of flights amid crew shortages and FDTL disruptions.
Congress leader and Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, sharply criticised the central government on December 5, 2025, attributing the ongoing IndiGo flight cancellation crisis to the Centre's "monopoly model" in the aviation sector. In a post on X, Gandhi stated, "The IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this government's monopoly model. Once again, it's ordinary Indians who pay the price—in delays, cancellations, and helplessness." He further argued that "India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies," highlighting how dominant players like IndiGo, which controls over 60 percent of the domestic market, leave passengers vulnerable to operational failures.
The outburst comes amid IndiGo's fourth consecutive day of massive disruptions, with hundreds of flights cancelled nationwide on Friday due to crew shortages stemming from the airline's inadequate preparation for the second phase of the government's Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. Major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Jaipur, and Bhopal, reported widespread chaos, stranding thousands of passengers who faced delays, lack of accommodations, and inflated rebooking costs. Celebrities like singer Rahul Vaidya publicly shared their ordeals, underscoring the human cost of the breakdowns.
IndiGo, operating around 2,200 flights daily, had already scrapped over 500 flights on Thursday—the highest single-day figure in its 20-year history—prompting the airline to assure the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) that full stability would return by February 10, 2026. In a letter to the regulator, the carrier sought temporary exemptions from certain FDTL provisions and warned of continued reductions in services until December 8, blaming a combination of rostering misjudgments, seasonal weather, and regulatory adjustments.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation took a stern view of the situation, with Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu chairing a high-level meeting with IndiGo's senior executives on Thursday. Naidu expressed "clear displeasure" over the airline's handling, noting that "ample preparatory time" was available for compliance. He directed IndiGo to prioritise normalisation, prevent any airfare hikes, and provide comprehensive support to affected passengers, including refunds and re-accommodations.
In parallel, Naidu convened officials from the Airports Authority of India (AAI), instructing airport directors to monitor ground operations closely and assist stranded travellers with essentials like food, water, and medical aid. The government's intervention reflects growing concerns over passenger rights in an industry plagued by rapid expansion without proportional infrastructure upgrades.
Gandhi's comments have reignited debates on market concentration, with opposition voices echoing calls for antitrust measures to foster competition and prevent such systemic failures from recurring. As IndiGo works to recalibrate its schedules, the episode exposes the fragility of India's aviation boom, where a single player's stumble can cascade into nationwide inconvenience.
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