Govt launches nationwide airport checks as IndiGo disruption triggers high-level review

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has initiated an intensive, round-the-clock review of airport operations across the country as the disruption of IndiGo's services continued to create bottlenecks for passengers.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu said that senior officials had been deployed to major airports to assess ground conditions and ensure that the concerns of stranded or delayed passengers were being addressed without delay.

In a detailed post on X, Ram Mohan Naidu said the Ministry and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had been "constantly monitoring the situation across all the airports in real-time since 3rd December", when irregularities in IndiGo's operations began affecting schedules nationwide.

The Minister described the developments as "extraordinary circumstances" requiring immediate and sustained intervention from the highest levels of the aviation establishment.

According to him, a high-level review meeting was held with the participation of all senior officials from the Ministry and the DGCA.

The review was aimed at conducting a comprehensive assessment of airport functioning, airline responsiveness, and the quality of services being provided to passengers affected by delays and cancellations.

The Civil Aviation Minister said that during the meeting, officials were directed to immediately fan out to airports across the country. Their mandate is to conduct ground inspections, interact with passengers, verify airline handling procedures, and identify any gaps in passenger services, including communication delays, congestion management, or inadequate assistance at terminals.

"Any shortcomings identified, including feedback received through interactions with passengers, are to be addressed and rectified immediately," Minister Naidu said in his post.

The Ministry's intensified response comes amid continued complaints on social media from passengers reporting long queues, slow check-in processes, and a lack of clarity regarding rescheduled flights.

IndiGo, India's largest airline by market share, has been grappling with operational challenges since early this week, causing widespread disruptions at several busy airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Hyderabad.

While the Minister did not elaborate on the cause of the disruption or the timeline for full restoration of normal operations, officials familiar with the matter said the government's immediate priority is to stabilise on-ground processes and ensure that passengers receive timely updates, assistance, and alternative travel arrangements wherever required.

The Civil Aviation Ministry is expected to issue a more detailed advisory once the initial assessments from airport visits are compiled and reviewed over the next 24 hours.

Picture Courtesy: IANS