Priyanka Chaturvedi requests Civil Aviation Minister to make statement in Rajya Sabha on IndiGo flight disruptions

New Delhi [India], December 5 (ANI): Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi on Friday moved a notice under Rule 180 in Rajya Sabha, requesting the Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu to make a statement on the disruption of IndiGo airlines' operations, which has been causing severe inconvenience to passengers across the country.
IndiGo has been experiencing a sharp rise in cancellations, reaching approximately 170-200 flights per day, substantially higher than usual.
In her notice, Priyanka Chaturvedi wrote, "I hereby give notice under Rule 180 of the Rules of Procedure and Conduct of Business in the Council of States (Rajya Sabha) of my intention to call the attention of the Minister of Civil Aviation to the following matter of urgent public importance," she wrote in the notice.
She cited passenger safety and convenience, calling it a matter of "urgent public importance."
She wrote, "The widespread disruption in IndiGo Airlines' operations on Wednesday, resulting in severe delays of up to seven hours and cancellation of more than 70 flights nationwide, including major airports such as Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad, was caused by an acute shortage of crew and other operational issues. The situation led to significant hardship for passengers, with several key domestic routes and international services such as the Mumbai-Maldives flight severely affected during peak hours."
"The matter is of urgent public importance as thousands of passengers were stranded, normal airport functioning was affected, and recurrent large-scale disruptions in airline services highlight a need for immediate government intervention, accountability measures, and safeguards to prevent future occurrences. I request that the Minister make a statement on the matter at an early date," she added.
Earlier on Thursday, IndiGo, which is experiencing operational disruptions and cancellations, sought temporary operational exemptions from certain Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) provisions for its A320 fleet until February 10, 2026, and assured that operational stability will be restored by that date, the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said in a statement.
Following a detailed review meeting under the chairmanship of the DGCA with the senior leadership of IndiGo, the regulator said, "To reduce passenger inconvenience while maintaining safety margins, IndiGo has requested operational variations or exemptions from specific FDTL provisions for A320 operations up to February 10, 2026. IndiGo has assured DGCA that corrective actions are underway and that normalised and stable operations will be fully restored by February 10, 2026.IndiGo has been experiencing a sharp rise in cancellations, reaching approximately 170-200 flights per day, substantially higher than usual.
During the review meeting, the DGCA found that IndiGo's operational breakdowns stemmed from transitional challenges in implementing Phase 2 of the revised FDTL norms, crew-planning gaps, and winter-season constraints. The revised fatigue-management rules, enforced following court directions, came into effect in two stages, July 1 and November 1, 2025. (ANI)