‘Not Political’: Aviation Minister Counters Rahul Gandhi’s ‘Monopoly’ Charge As IndiGo Chaos Sparks Row

The political debate over the ongoing IndiGo crisis intensified this week, with Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu defending the government’s role and rejecting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s accusation of promoting a “monopoly model”. The controversy comes at a time when nationwide flight disruptions have left thousands of passengers stranded.

Minister says issue is public, not political

Responding to Gandhi’s criticism, the minister said the situation should not be turned into a political fight. He stressed that the government had consistently worked to promote competition in the aviation sector.

Naidu explained that new legislation was introduced to reduce leasing costs, making it easier for airlines to expand their fleets. “The government has always tried to bring in more

competition. The demand for aviation in the country is rising. This is an opportunity for more players to enter the sector, and the government wants this too,” he said.

He added that the Leader of the Opposition should speak with “complete information” before criticising the government.

Rahul Gandhi blames government for crisis

Earlier, Rahul Gandhi directly held the government responsible for the chaos caused by IndiGo’s massive flight cancellations. In a post on X, he said ordinary Indians were paying the price for what he described as the government’s “monopoly model”.

“IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this Government’s monopoly model… India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies,” Gandhi wrote.

His comments added fuel to the political dispute, even as passengers across the country continued to face delays, cancellations, and long hours at airports.

Crew shortage and safety norms trigger disruptions

The crisis unfolded after IndiGo struggled to implement new flight safety norms aimed at addressing pilot fatigue, a major concern highlighted in global aviation standards. These norms, announced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) last year, were being introduced in phases across airlines.

However, IndiGo failed to reorganise its crew roster in line with the revised rules. This mismatch triggered a severe crew shortage, eventually leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights daily and a breakdown of the airline’s operations.

Airports across India have since witnessed large crowds of stranded passengers seeking alternate travel options.

To stabilise the situation, the DGCA has temporarily paused the implementation of the new safety norms. This has allowed IndiGo to slowly restore flights, with operations now “limping back to normal”, according to officials.