Speaking to reporters, Prithviraj Chavan described the situation at IndiGo as "unfortunate and shocking" and alleged that it resulted from regulatory failures and "collusion" between the government and private airlines
Prithviraj Chavan described the situation at IndiGo as "unfortunate and shocking". File Pic
Senior Maharashtra Congress leader and former Union minister Prithviraj Chavan on Monday demanded the resignation of Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu over the ongoing crisis at IndiGo, which has led to severe flight disruptions across the country over the past week, reported the PTI.
Speaking to reporters, Prithviraj Chavan described the situation at IndiGo as "unfortunate and shocking" and alleged that it resulted from regulatory failures and "collusion" between the government and private airlines.
He argued that the aviation sector must not be allowed to fall entirely into private hands and urged the Centre to start a national airline of its own.
Chavan called for the resignation of Naidu, the suspension of IndiGo’s CEO, and the dismissal of DGCA officials responsible for oversight lapses.
"Monopoly in the aviation sector is dangerous for the country," he said, stressing the need for stronger checks and balances, according to the PTI.
He reiterated his long-standing demand for the implementation of the Civil Aviation Authority, a regulatory body proposed during the UPA regime (2004–14), when he served as a minister.
Chavan further said that strengthening oversight is crucial to avoid such crises in the future.
The former Maharashtra Chief Minister also asked the government to set up a Rs 1,000-crore special compensation fund to support passengers who faced financial losses due to expensive air tickets and widespread cancellations caused by the IndiGo crisis.
Meanwhile, aviation safety regulator, the DGCA, said on Monday that it has received IndiGo’s response to the show-cause notice issued over the large-scale flight cancellations and will take enforcement action after reviewing it, reported the PTI.
The regulator stated that IndiGo was “profusely apologetic” and expressed deep regret over the inconvenience and hardship caused to passengers due to the widespread disruptions.
The DGCA said it is examining IndiGo’s reply, and appropriate enforcement measures will be taken in due course.
On Saturday, the regulator had issued show-cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and Accountable Manager Isidro Porqueras, asking them to explain within 24 hours the reasons behind the severe flight disruptions. IndiGo later sought more time, and the deadline was extended to Monday, 6 pm, as per the PTI.
According to the DGCA, IndiGo submitted its responses -- signed by both the Chief Executive Officer and the Chief Operating Officer --on December 8 at 18:01 hours.
In its reply, IndiGo said the disruptions were caused by a combination of factors, including minor technical issues, schedule adjustments for the winter season, adverse weather, congestion in the aviation network, and the implementation of the updated crew rostering rules (Flight Duty Time Limitation Phase II). These factors, it said, overlapped to varying degrees, according to the PTI.
IndiGo also noted that, given the scale and complexity of its operations, it is “not realistically possible” to identify a single exact cause at this stage.
The airline further pointed out that the DGCA’s own manual allows a 15-day response period for show-cause notices, suggesting it needs more time to carry out a thorough root cause analysis, the news agency reported.
(with PTI inputs)
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