IndiGo: A lesson for the Centre

IndiGo flight services across the country have been severely affected for the 9th consecutive day. More than 150 flights have been cancelled in Bengaluru and Mumbai. 14 IndiGo flights scheduled to depart from Chennai airport today have been cancelled.
Taking advantage of the crisis at IndiGo, other airlines, including Air India, increased ticket prices manifold. The suffering and impact on the public due to lack of seats is not a little bit painful.
IndiGo, which has cancelled more than 4,500 flights since December 2, sought more time yesterday to respond to the notice issued by the Air Traffic Control Department on December 6 to explain the issues, saying, “The scale of the operation is large. it is not possible to give just one valid reason at this time.”
In this situation, with the government under increasing pressure due to the activities of IndiGo, the government has decided to hand over key routes from IndiGo to other companies. It has also instructed to reduce about 100 flights per day. It has also ordered all airlines to charge no more than Rs.7,500 for 500 km and a maximum of Rs.18,000 for more than 1500 km.
Air travel has become an essential necessity in this era, when even middle-class families in India are increasingly opting for air travel.
The Union government has also handed over Air India, which was under its control, to the Tata Group in the name of privatization. Although it cannot be completely ruled out that privatization should be encouraged, this air travel crisis shows that the government should retain control over key sectors. If the government had been in control of aviation, the problem would not have reached this level. Even if it had, a solution would have been found within a few days.
There have even been reports of plans to privatize railway transport. Railway workers’ unions and passengers are strongly opposing this. This air transport mess shows that essential services like transport should never be privatized. This is a lesson for the Union Government.
The people of the country want the Union Government to consider bringing air transport back into full control!