IndiGo Flight Meltdown Triggers Political Storm as Opposition Blames Govt for ‘Dangerous Aviation Duopoly’

The unprecedented cancellation of over 550 IndiGo flights in a single day has sparked fierce criticism from the Opposition, with senior Congress leaders blaming the Modi government’s policies for creating a dangerous duopoly in India’s aviation sector. The operational meltdown left lakhs of passengers stranded across major airports, triggering accusations of a "systemic failure" driven by government favoritism toward corporate interests at the expense of passenger welfare.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi led the political backlash, tweeting, “IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Govt’s monopoly model,” and lamenting that ordinary Indians are once again paying the price “in delays, cancellations and helplessness.” He called for urgent reforms, declaring, “India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.”

Party General Secretary K C Venugopal quantified the scale of the crisis, stating, “550 IndiGo flights cancelled in a single day is a clear consequence of the Government sleeping at the wheel while a duopoly established a deadly chokehold on India’s aviation sector.” He accused the government of prioritizing corporate greed over passenger interests.

Opposition leaders pointed to industry consolidation as a root cause, highlighting the collapse of carriers like Jet Airways and Go First, alongside the Tata Group’s merger of Air India, Vistara, and AirAsia India, which has concentrated about 90% of the domestic market between just two players.

Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera emphasized the alarming market concentration, noting, “92% of the share in our airline sector is in the hands of just two companies—IndiGo and Tata.” He criticized the broader governance approach, saying, “Two people will run the party, two people will run the government, two people will run the business. So this is what will happen, which is what’s occurring.”

IndiGo attributed the mass cancellations to a combination of adverse weather, minor technical issues, and the enforcement of updated Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules mandating increased rest periods for pilots. However, industry analysts believe the new safety regulations only exposed pre-existing structural weaknesses.

Pilot federations independently blamed IndiGo’s “prolonged and unorthodox lean manpower strategy,” arguing the airline failed to adequately prepare for the stricter rostering rules despite a two-year lead time.

Demanding swift accountability, Congress leaders called on the Ministry of Civil Aviation to act decisively. Venugopal questioned, “What is the mechanism that [the ministry] has set up to ensure passengers get full refunds for these cancelled flights? How are they ensuring IndiGo is looking after passengers’ well-being?”

The Opposition has vowed to raise the issue vigorously in Parliament, pressing for immediate measures to dismantle the aviation duopoly and restore genuine competition in India’s skies.