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Congress MP Rajeev Shukla on Saturday raised concerns over the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights, stating that thousands of passengers have been left stranded at airports and alleging that the government has failed to provide adequate assistance to affected travellers.
Speaking to ANI, the Congress MP also expressed alarm over rising airfares following the disruption in flight operations, claiming that a "loot" is taking place and urged the government to intervene and keep flight rates under control. "This is a matter of concern. Thousands and lakhs of people are stranded at airports. They are not receiving help from the Government. So, we have been pressing the matter for immediate relief. So, they withdrew the order (Flight Duty Time Limitations orders) yesterday. Still, IndiGo says that it will take 10 more days for operations to be normal. So, people will be affected in these 10 days, they will face losses. So, there is just one method - to increase the number of Air India flights and speak with all other airlines, like SpiceJet and Akasa, so that more and more passengers can be accommodated. They should also keep the airfares in check, a loot is going on and it should be stopped," said Shukla. Meanwhile, IndiGo operations across India remained severely disrupted on Saturday, with more than 100 flights cancelled, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Guwahati, and other cities. Passengers complained of last-minute alerts, lack of communication and long queues as flight operations continued to be hit nationwide. Delhi Airport recorded one of the highest cancellation counts, with airport authorities confirming that IndiGo's 54 departures and 52 arrivals, a total of 106 flights, were cancelled as of Saturday morning. As of 9:00 am, IndiGo reported 109 cancellations nationwide, including 51 arrivals and 58 departures, according to the airline's operations update. Hyderabad Airport GMR confirmed that IndiGo has planned 69 cancellations for Saturday. This includes 26 incoming and 43 outgoing flights, affecting overall airport operations. In Kolkata, long queues of passengers were seen at Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport. Manas, a passenger who had booked an IndiGo flight to Lucknow, said he received no prior communication from the airline and only learned about the cancellation after arriving at the airport. "I had booked tickets on an IndiGo flight to Lucknow. They did not even send us a message, and after coming here, I came to know that the flight is cancelled...They are not saying anything clearly. I am going back now...," Manas told ANI. Nationalist Congress Party (Sharad Pawar faction) MP Supriya Sule strongly condemned the recent disruption of IndiGo flights and urged the Government of India to issue an official statement in Parliament. Speaking to reporters, the NCP-SCP MP demanded an inquiry into the matter, saying, "We condemn what happened to IndiGo. Govt of India should issue an official statement in the Parliament and there should be an inquiry...You can see the condition that has been there for the past 2 days. Govt of India has not issued any statement till date...I hope that on Monday, Govt of India answers the country and the Parliament regarding Indigo." (ANI)
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