‘The ministry has finally woken Up’:  Congress leader P Chidambaram welcomes Govt’s airfare cap decision 

 

Congress leader P Chidambaram on Sunday backed the government’s decision to cap airfares amid the ongoing IndiGo crisis, saying the Ministry of Civil Aviation has “finally woken up” after days of widespread disruptions. He said the price limits should continue as long as the domestic airline market remains a duopoly.

IndiGo’s operational meltdown over the past few days has led to hundreds of cancellations and delays, stranding thousands of passengers across the country.

In a detailed post on X, Chidambaram wrote, "I am glad that the Ministry of Civil Aviation has woken up at last and capped the Economy Class fares". 

 

 

 

 

 

He added, "As long the duopoly in the airline sector remains, caps on Economy Class fares must remain in force."

The former finance minister also stressed the need for tighter control in the absence of competition. "Absent robust competition, the only way to protect public interest is price containment. The overwhelming majority of the passengers must be protected (sic)," he said.

Chidambaram had earlier slammed the handling of the crisis, calling the IndiGo breakdown and airport chaos a “massive failure” of the airline’s management, the Civil Aviation Ministry, the DGCA and the government.

Pointing to the flight duty time rules notified in January 2024, he said, "Yet, over the past 23 months, the government failed to guide the airline to adapt its operations to the new Rules. The MoCA and DGCA are squarely responsible."

He further remarked, "When the crisis started and escalated, the government was clueless and helpless, and eventually capitulated."

Meanwhile, the aviation ministry on Friday put the rollout of the new flight duty time limitation (FDTL) rules on hold. A two-page order issued on Saturday said disruptions at one airline had led to widespread cancellations, reduced capacity and an unreasonable spike in fares on several routes.

IndiGo has begun restoring some connectivity. The airline operated around 1,500 flights on Saturday after nearly 800 cancellations the previous day. On Sunday, it said it was running 1,650 of its 2,300 scheduled domestic and international services, while 650 flights remained cancelled as operations slowly stabilise.

(With inputs from PTI)