Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed the massive disruption in IndiGo’s operations on what he called the government’s “monopoly model”, as India’s largest airline continued to cancel hundreds of flights for a second consecutive day.
In a sharp attack posted on X, Gandhi said, "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."
He further asserted that "India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies."
The former Congress president also shared his article from last year in which he had said that the original East India Company wound up over 150 years ago but the raw fear it then generated is back with a new breed of monopolists having taken its place.
He had asserted that a "new deal for progressive Indian business is an idea whose time has come".
Sharing the article on X on November 6 last year, Gandhi had said, "Choose your India: Play-Fair or Monopoly? Jobs or Oligarchies? Competence or Connections? Innovation or Intimidation? Wealth for many or the few?" "I write on why a New Deal for Business isn't just an option. It is India's future," he had said, sharing his opinion piece.
His remarks came as IndiGo cancelled over 550 flights on Thursday and more than 400 flights on Friday, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country. Sources said hundreds of travellers faced long delays and disruption.
According to airport sources, over 220 flights — both arrivals and departures — were cancelled at the Delhi airport, while more than 100 were cancelled in Bangalore. At the Hyderabad airport, over 90 flights were cancelled. Several other airports also reported widespread cancellations and delays.
IndiGo, which has been grappling with crew shortages and operational challenges, told aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday that its operations are expected to be fully stabilised by February 10, 2026. The airline also sought temporary relaxations in flight duty norms.
The carrier acknowledged that disruptions seen over the past few days were largely due to “misjudgment and planning gaps” in rolling out the second phase of the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. It informed the regulator that more cancellations were expected until December 8, after which there would be a reduction in services.
Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu convened a high-level meeting to review the situation and expressed displeasure over IndiGo’s handling of the FDTL transition despite having adequate time to prepare.
The civil aviation ministry and the DGCA continue to closely monitor the ongoing disruptions. IndiGo reaffirmed to the regulator that flight operations are expected to be fully stabilised by February 10, 2026.