Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan on Monday levelled serious allegations against the Union government, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and private airlines over the widespread disruption caused to IndiGo passengers last week.
Addressing a press conference in Mumbai, he claimed that increasing monopolies in India’s aviation sector, regulatory failures and “possible collusion” had directly contributed to the crisis that stranded thousands of travellers. Chavan described the situation as “deeply unfortunate and shocking”, arguing that excessive relaxations from both the DGCA and the Centre had allowed IndiGo to expand without adequate oversight. He said that regulations scheduled for implementation from 1 July 2024 “were never enforced”, enabling “monopoly-like dominance” to grow unchecked.
According to the former Chief Minister, India’s aviation market has effectively been reduced to two major players, IndiGo with a 65 per cent share and the Tata Group controlling nearly 30 per cent. “This situation is extremely dangerous for passengers and for the aviation ecosystem,” he warned.
Chavan criticised the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for failing to act on the growing concentration of power, saying its inaction had rendered it ineffective. He demanded that the commission be dissolved and restructured, proposing even that IndiGo be “split into two companies”, with neither permitted to hold more than 30 per cent of the market.
Raising questions about political influence, the Congress leader alleged that IndiGo’s promoters had donated ₹56 crore to the BJP through electoral bonds. He urged authorities to investigate whether these contributions had influenced regulatory decisions. “We need to know if these donations had any bearing on the DGCA’s conduct,” he said.
Prithviraj Chavan also raised concerns about the future of pilot training in India. He pointed out that on 25 November 2025, Adani Defence acquired the country’s largest pilot-training institute, days after the Civil Aviation Ministry announced that India would require 30,000 new pilots in the next 10–15 years. This sequence of events, he argued, risked creating yet another monopoly. “This is a serious threat to the future of aviation training in the country,” he said.
Calling for relief for passengers who were forced to buy last-minute tickets at double or triple the normal fares, Chavan demanded a ₹1,000-crore special compensation fund. He compared the need for such support to the compensation framework established after the Bhopal gas tragedy.
The Congress leader issued a series of demands, including the resignation of the Union Civil Aviation Minister, the dismissal of responsible DGCA officials, and the immediate suspension of IndiGo’s CEO. He also sought the formation of a high-level inquiry committee with a 15-day deadline, the dissolution and restructuring of the CCI, the bifurcation of IndiGo to prevent monopoly, and the revival of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) proposed during the Manmohan Singh government.
