An NDA ally and the combined Opposition pointed fingers at the Narendra Modi government for the IndiGo fiasco continuing for the last two days.

Hundreds of flights have been cancelled across airports in the country and lakhs of passengers stranded.

The Telugu Desam MP from Narasaraopeta Lavu Sri Krishna Devarayalu said such a situation was inevitable.

“The market is dominated by two major carriers. I have been warning against this duopoly for a long time. The DGCA had informed IndiGo about the change in rules as early as June and July,” said Devarayalu. “Instead of hiring new pilots and crew, they lingered until the last minute and rushed through the process in the final week before the deadline. The fault clearly lies with IndiGo. Now they need to buckle up, come clean and ensure that passengers do not face any further inconveniences.”

Devarayalu’s was the only voice from the ruling NDA to speak against the crisis.

The leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi on Friday blamed the Centre’s “monopoly model” for the predicament of the passengers.

"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," Rahul said on X.

"India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies," he added, sharing an article from last year in which he warned that while the original East India Company wound up over 150 years ago, a new breed of monopolists has returned.

Congress MP from Wayanad Priyanka Gandhi echoed the leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha.

"We all know that throughout the country, most things belong to a few people and that is the doing of this government, and that is not healthy. It's not healthy for the economy, it's not healthy for democracy, it's not healthy for the country," she said.

CPM’s Rajya Sabha MP Sivadasn from Kerala had booked a flight for Friday for his home town Kannur.

“I had booked a ticket from here (Delhi) to my hometown (Kannur). I still don’t know whether I will be able to travel. The cancellation of so many flights is because of this government’s inefficiency,” Sivadasan said outside the Parliament.

The Rajya Sabha MP is not the only passenger to have a complaint against the airlines.

A passenger from Patna had booked a flight to Bhubaneswar a month ago. On Friday morning he received a message that the flight was on schedule.

“After I checked in I was told that the flight for today and Saturday both have been cancelled. They blamed the weather for the cancellation. I asked for a refund and was told I would have to wait for a week,” the passenger complained.

Ranjeet Ranjan, another Congress MP, echoed the situation and said it was a monopoly problem, with one airline being promoted while others were sidelined.

"Is IndiGo in debt? Has its debt increased so much that it has had to cancel flights? Is the government not responsible for IndiGo's current situation?" she asked.

Priyanka Chaturvedi, the Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP, said she had submitted a calling attention notice on the floor of the Upper House for a response from the civil aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu, who had chaired a high-level meeting on Thursday to restore normalcy at the earliest.

After Naidu’s meeting the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) office issued a set of directives.

“The DGCA has put aside the passengers and is catering to the airline instead of regulating it. If you are not responsible for rising air fares and passenger grievances then shut down the civil aviation ministry,” Priyanka Chaturvedi said.

The Trinamool Lok Sabha MP Kirti Azad from Durgapur-Burdwan appeared to agree with Rahul Gandhi.

“IndiGo loots people. They charge for seats, food, and every other service. The fares are hiked during the festival seasons. They have made a lot of money in all these years. The airline is to be blamed for the delay and cancellations. If they make any losses now the passengers would have to pay the price with over-priced tickets,” said Azad.

The Congress Lok Sabha MP from Allahabad Ujjwal Raman Singh said the government had failed to ensure a smooth rollout of the new system.

"You (the government) often make big claims that even those wearing slippers should be able to fly, but now it seems that even well-off people will run away from air travel and be forced to shift back to trains and other vehicles."

The former chairperson of the National Commission for Women and BJP Rajya Sabha MP Rekha Sharma offered a feeble defence.

"IndiGo is the biggest player in the aviation sector, but since certain norms have changed, the airline is taking some time to fully comply with them."