BJP's Jagdambika Pal urges Centre for alternative arrangements for MPs amid flight disruptions

New Delhi, Dec 5 (PTI) Amid disruptions in IndiGo's flight operations across the country, BJP MP Jagdambika Pal urged the government on Friday to provide alternative arrangements for travellers, saying the large-scale cancellations have left members of Parliament and other passengers stranded.

Raising the issue during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Pal 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 urged the civil aviation ministry to ensure monitoring of airline operations and provide alternative arrangements for the stranded travellers.

"We are in Parliament from Monday to Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday, all of us have programmes in our constituencies.... Some have to go to Bengaluru, some to Kolkata, some to Chennai," the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, adding that the sudden cancellations have thrown these schedules into disarray.

He said 400 IndiGo flights have been cancelled, including his own.

"My evening flight has been cancelled. The next morning's flight has been cancelled too," he said.

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

The disruptions came after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed flight-duty-time limitations for pilots and crew, triggering operational adjustments by airlines.

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

"If the DGCA has imposed these limits, then who is responsible for passengers' safety, reliability and accountability?" he asked.

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. PTI UZM RC