Parliament echoes chaos of IndiGo cancellations across airports

Cancellation of Indigo flights across the country, leading to harassment of passengers as they were stranded at several airports, including Delhi, and chaos echoed in Parliament on Friday.

Raising the issue in the Lok Sabha during the Zero Hour, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal urged the Government to provide alternative arrangements for travelers, saying the large-scale cancellations have left members of Parliament and other passengers stranded.

He said hundreds of flights have been cancelled in recent days, severely affecting the travel plans of lawmakers who must return to their constituencies over the weekend.

Accusing IndiGo of not complying with the aviation regulator’s directives, he said the Government must restore normalcy at the earliest.  Pal also urged the civil aviation ministry to ensure monitoring of airline operations and provide alternative arrangements for the stranded travelers.

He questioned how MPs are expected to travel across the country and return in time for Parliament on Monday under the present circumstances. 

Pal also argued that the burden of these measures is falling on passengers, without any clarity on accountability.

He added that airlines often refuse to wait for even five minutes for passengers, yet one carrier is now cancelling flights on a massive scale.

Congress member Pramod Tiwari expressed concern in the Rajya Sabha over the cancellation of around 500 flights by IndiGo in the last two days, saying the airline’s monopoly is impacting parliamentarians as well as common citizens.