- As you are aware, the Union Government led by the indefatigable Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his cabinet colleagues never shies away from proclaiming with absolute conviction about how India is poised to be counted among the most advanced nations in the world by 2047. At every given opportunity, forum, and platform, this aspect is pronounced unfailingly, highlighting how an aspirational society is slowly but steadily scaling never-before-seen heights to realize the stated objective of being touted as an advanced nation. For a still-developing country to propel to such an exalted position calls for sustained high economic growth on the back of comprehensive planning to push every key vertical to perform optimally for a sustained period. Are we there?
PC: Financial Times
- Note that one of the key parameters to ensure the country grows on an even keel is the civil aviation industry, especially domestic airlines. More people choosing to fly domestically denotes healthy economic conditions, with expending money power coming to the fore, denoting Indian society has indeed moved ahead. Ideally speaking, the Indian domestic aviation scenario should be imbued with more than four to five major players to ensure the crucial sector is not held to ransom by a monopoly, but also offer the flyers more than one option to choose from, with healthy competition driving the growth rather than remaining at the mercy of one or two players.
PC: Al Jazeera
- However, what transpired in the last few days in domestic air travel has been contrary to this dictum, with the premier airline IndiGo cancelling hundreds of flights, leading to utter chaos at every major airport. Thousands of travelers were stranded across the country, placing the paying public at the mercy of an insensitive and incorrigible airline whose intransigence was visible all through. For the uninitiated, the Union Government had made new rules to ensure that pilots receive enough rest so they could fly safely. These rules are called FDTL – Flight Duty Time Limitations. They were supposed to start long ago, but India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, still wasn’t ready. When the rules finally had to be followed, IndiGo said it couldn’t handle them.
PC: The Economic Times
- What did it do? Cancelled hundreds of flights every day, leaving thousands of passengers stuck at airports for hours with no idea when they would fly. Some ticket prices even shot up to Rs. 1 lakh for a normal economy seat. It almost felt like IndiGo was saying to the government – if you force these rules, we’ll cancel flights and create chaos. Mind you, IndiGo controls more than 60% of all domestic flights. That means if the airline stops flying normally, the whole country feels it. In many other countries, no single airline is this powerful. Having no choice, the government gave in and said the new pilot-rest rules would not be applied now. Pilots are upset, too. The airline has not hired more pilots. In fact, no new beginner pilots were hired this year. More airlines are an option.
