Bharatiya Janata Party MP Jagdambika Pal on Friday urgently called for government intervention as widespread flight cancellations by IndiGo left hundreds of passengers, including Members of Parliament, stranded across the country. Raising the matter during the Zero Hour in the Lok Sabha, Pal highlighted the severe disruption to travel plans, particularly for lawmakers needing to commute between Delhi and their constituencies.
Parliamentarian Highlights Travel Chaos
Pal pointed out that the ongoing Winter Session of Parliament requires MPs to be in the capital from Monday to Friday. However, the weekend is crucial for them to attend programs in their home constituencies. The sudden cancellation of hundreds of IndiGo flights in recent days has thrown these schedules into complete disarray. He noted that MPs need to travel to far-flung areas like Bengaluru, Kolkata, and Chennai, making reliable air connectivity essential.
"We are in Parliament from Monday to Friday, but on Saturday and Sunday all of us have programmes in our constituencies," Pal stated. He revealed that over 400 IndiGo flights have been cancelled, impacting him personally as tickets for two of his flights were cancelled in the past two days alone. He questioned how MPs are expected to fulfill their duties under such circumstances.
Root Causes: Crew Shortage and New DGCA Rules
The operational crisis stems from a combination of factors. According to airport sources, on Friday, December 5, 2025, IndiGo cancelled 53 departure and 51 arrival flights. The primary reasons cited are a mounting crew shortage, strain on the airline's network-wide schedule, and adjustments to revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms imposed by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
These FDTL rules are designed to enhance flight safety by limiting pilot and crew duty hours to prevent fatigue. However, their implementation has forced airlines to make significant operational changes. Pal argued that while safety is paramount, the burden of these adjustments is falling disproportionately on passengers without clear accountability.
Call for Accountability and Passenger Relief
In his address, the BJP MP demanded immediate action from the Civil Aviation Ministry. He urged the ministry to monitor airline operations closely and ensure alternative arrangements are provided for all affected passengers. Pal emphasized the need to restore normalcy at the earliest.
He also raised pointed questions about responsibility, asking, "If the DGCA has imposed these limits, who is responsible for passengers’ safety, reliability and accountability?" Pal contrasted the airlines' usual strictness, noting they often refuse to wait for late passengers, with the current scenario where one carrier is cancelling flights on a massive scale.
The plea in Parliament underscores the widespread inconvenience caused by the cancellations, extending beyond the general public to disrupt the functioning of India's democratic representatives. The government's response to this call for intervention is now awaited.
