Indigo flight disruptions: CPI(M) MP John Brittas writes to PM demanding JPC or judicial enquiry

New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) CPI(M) Rajya Sabha MP John Brittas on Saturday wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the unprecedented nationwide disruption of air services and the consequent surge in airfares.

In a letter addressed to the prime minister, Brittas said the disruption that came following the DGCA's Flight Duty Time Limitation mandate resulted in daylight exploitation of passengers.

"The sudden cancellation and delay of a massive number of flights by the country's largest airline, IndiGo, which commands a dominant 63 to 65 per cent share of the domestic market, has effectively paralysed air travel nationwide," Brittas said.

He said there is an "extraordinary concentration of market power", due to which the failure of a single private operator translated into a failure of the entire system.

"What transformed this operational failure into a national scandal is the manner in which the disruption was converted into a profiteering opportunity. Domestic airfares skyrocketed to extortionate levels that defy any logic of cost, demand or fairness," Brittas said.

Brittas said what passes as "competition" in Indian aviation is in reality a near lockout by two dominant players.

"A duopoly unrivalled even among major global aviation markets," he said.

He mentioned that in China, the three largest airlines together do not cumulatively cross 60 per cent market share, and in the United States, no single domestic airline holds more than roughly 25 per cent share.

Brittas also questioned why the recommendations of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Transport, Tourism and Culture for route-specific airfare capping and for the creation of a separate statutory regulatory authority to monitor and control air ticket pricing, made after the committee found that self-regulation by airlines failed, have not been implemented to date.

He added that the episode reflects not merely the failure of one airline, but "a deeper crisis of regulatory credibility, unchecked market concentration, consumer exploitation and weak enforcement architecture".

"If this episode passes without independent scrutiny, it will establish a dangerous precedent where passenger suffering, diluted safety and predatory pricing are normalised," he said.

"This matter can no longer be addressed through internal reviews or advisory circulars. The credibility of governance itself demands an independent, transparent and time-bound inquiry with full access to regulatory files, airline preparedness records and pricing data," Brittas said.

He urged the prime minister to constitute either a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Judicial Commission of Inquiry to comprehensively investigate the regulatory failures, airline preparedness, dilution of safety norms, fare escalation patterns, and the policy framework that has enabled such extreme concentration of market power.

He added that it should also examine "the urgent need for a statutory Passenger Bill of Rights guaranteeing automatic compensation, fair treatment and transparent pricing during mass disruptions".

Domestic carrier IndiGo cancelled over 800 flights on Saturday, the fifth day of the ongoing crisis, even as the government imposed a cap on airfares and directed the airline to process all refunds by Sunday evening.

The government informed that regulatory action will be initiated against the airline in case of any non-compliance.

The airline had cancelled over 1,000 flights on Friday.

The government on Saturday also imposed a cap on airfare, which will be in place till the situation stabilises. PTI AO MPL MPL