(MENAFN- Live Mint) Amid row over massive IndiGo flight cancellations, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor on Friday called it unfortunate and said the airline needs to do“some serious introspection”.

He also said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had numerous warnings to the airline about the new system of working hours and rosters.

The crisis at IndiGo stems from new regulations that boost pilots' weekly rest requirements by 12 hours to 48 and allow only two night-time landings per week, down from six.

IndiGo has attributed the mass cancellations to "misjudgment and planning gaps".

Also Read | Who stands to gain from the IndiGo fiasco?

While talking to reporters, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor said,“This is most unfortunate. As far as I understand, the DGCA had given plenty of warning to the airlines about the new system of working hours and rosters, etc. This meant the airlines had to hire more pilots, but clearly they failed to do so, inflicting chaos on the travelling public.”

“The airline needs to do some serious introspection...They have let down the public,” Tharoor added.

Over 500 IndiGo flights grounded

IndiGo, the dominant player in India's domestic aviation sector, grounded over 500 flights nationwide on Friday, including a complete halt of all departures from New Delhi. The sweeping cancellations left thousands of air travellers stranded for extended periods, struggling to find alternative travel arrangements and lacking clear information.

The root cause of the crisis was IndiGo's inadequate preparation for the implementation of new, more stringent flying-time regulations for pilots. This failure to adjust staffing and scheduling led to massive operational disruption, severely affecting passengers who reported missing critical events, including international connections, job interviews, and family functions like wedding receptions.

Also Read | Delhi to Mumbai flight prices surge up to ₹48,972 amid IndiGo crisis

IndiGo currently accounts for nearly two-thirds of the country's domestic air traffic, magnifying the scale of the resulting travel chaos.

As public frustration escalated and Opposition parties voiced strong criticism against the government's perceived inaction, the DGCA intervened. The aviation regulator granted IndiGo a temporary reprieve from the stricter night duty rules for its pilots, aiming to alleviate the immediate pressure on the flight schedule.

The impact was felt most acutely in major metro areas. Delhi Airport announced the cancellation of all of IndiGo's scheduled departures for the day, totalling around 235 flights. Chennai Airport similarly suspended all IndiGo flights bound for major cities until 6 PM.

Mumbai saw 104 flights scrapped, Bengaluru faced 102 cancellations, and Hyderabad reported 92 grounded flights, as reported by news agency PTI, citing sources.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi blamed the IndiGo "fiasco" on the BJP-led government's "monopoly model" and asserted that India deserves fair competition in every sector, not "match-fixing monopolies".

Rahul Gandhi raps monopoly model

"IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this government's monopoly model. Once again, it's ordinary Indians who pay the price -- in delays, cancellations and helplessness," the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha said in a social media post on X.

The issue has figured in Parliament as well.

After three days of chaos across airports, Civil Aviation Minister Rammohan Naidu said in a statement: "We anticipate that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days. With the initiation of various operational steps, flight schedules are expected to return to normal by tomorrow (Saturday)."

"Keeping new flight duty norms in abeyance, taking other operational steps to help normalise operations. The government has ordered a high-level inquiry to determine reasons, accountability for IndiGo flight disruptions," he said.

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