John Brittas MP Seeks JPC or Judicial Probe Into National Aviation Breakdown and Airfare Exploitation

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha MP Dr. John Brittas has written to Prime Minister Narendra Modi demanding a Joint Parliamentary Committee or a Judicial Commission of Inquiry into the unprecedented collapse of civil aviation services across the country and the steep, exploitative rise in airfares witnessed over the past week.

In his letter, Dr. Brittas said millions of passengers had suffered severe hardship due to large-scale flight cancellations triggered after the DGCA enforced revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms. He pointed out that IndiGo, which holds more than 60 percent of India’s domestic aviation market, cancelled and delayed hundreds of flights, effectively paralysing air travel nationwide. The resulting distress — passengers stranded in airports, missing medical emergencies, examinations and family events — was described as unprecedented and avoidable.

Dr. John Brittas said the crisis exposed serious failures in regulatory preparedness and market oversight. He noted that the revised duty rules were implemented without proper planning, staffing or transition measures, and that once the system collapsed, safety norms were quickly diluted, raising concerns about passenger safety being compromised to protect commercial interests.

He criticised airlines for converting the disruption into a profiteering opportunity, with domestic airfares shooting up to unreasonable levels. He said not only IndiGo but other carriers too raised fares sharply, creating the impression of coordinated pricing under the cover of algorithms. He also said Air India gained from the situation as many international passengers were forced to cancel connecting flights.

He pointed out that India’s aviation sector has now come under the grip of just two major airlines, creating a level of market concentration far higher than what is seen in countries like the United States or China. This dominance has only deepened after the privatisation of airports, limiting competition and leaving passengers with very few alternatives. Brittas also noted that despite being fully operational, Kannur International Airport continues to be denied “point-of-call” status for foreign carriers, even as newly developed private airports such as Mopa in Goa have been granted such permissions — a situation that raises questions about an “airline–airport cartel” influencing access and affecting regional connectivity.

He said the Government has statutory power to prevent predatory pricing under Rule 135(4) of the Aircraft Rules, 1937, but has repeatedly refused to act. Parliamentary Committee recommendations for fare caps and an independent price regulator, he noted, remain unimplemented.

John Brittas contrasted the situation with global practices, saying that in the United States and Europe, strong passenger protection laws mandate compensation, free rebooking, and capped charges during disruptions. In India, he said, passengers were abandoned without basic safeguards.

Calling the episode a “grave collapse of accountability,” Brittas said it must not be treated as an internal administrative issue. He urged the Prime Minister to order a time-bound, independent inquiry with full access to regulatory records, airline preparedness data, and pricing details. He also called for a statutory Passenger Bill of Rights to ensure compensation, fair treatment and transparent pricing during major disruptions.