Indigo services meltdown has rippling effect countrywide, Tripura adversely affected

By Our Correspondent

Agartala, December 5, 2025

Amidst the countrywide chaos spawned by the meltdown of Indigo airlines services, the air passengers of landlocked Tripura seem to be the worst affected. According to latest information more than five hundred flights of the privately run Indigo airlines flights have been cancelled all over the country , causing immense suffering to air passengers in the absence of any compensation or alternative arrangement for temporary lodging and food of the stranded passengers.

In Tripura’s MBB airport, northeast of Agartala, the situation has become dire over the past two days as three flights each have already been cancelled-yesterday and today. Hundreds of passengers including a large number of patients bound for Calcutta and south Indian cities for treatment have remained stranded in the airport lounge . The former PCC president and sitting Congress MLA Gopal Roy said that neither the Indigo airlines authority nor the airport authority of India is taking any responsibility for the stranded passengers-price paid for their tickets, stay , lodging and food .

“The situation is chaotic and the stranded air passengers , specially patients among them, continue to be subjected to immense suffering; cancellation of services is causing great suffering to patients who need treatment outside the state; there is no clarity on any issue as the Indigo airlines authority is silent dumping the passengers to fend for themselves” said Gopal Roy. He added that there is no clarity on any issue and blamed the state government for inaction and indifference to the suffering of people . Gopal also blamed the Centre for failure to deal with the issue in appropriate manner and the state government for its apathetic attitude. “The state government should immediately seek intervention of the union civil aviation ministry and the privately run Indigo airlines authority to find a way out for the stranded passengers as also for immediate resumption of service” said Gopal.

Meanwhile, a civil aviation expert expressed his suspicion that the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) enforced by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) might have prompted the Indigo, the biggest private ailrlines operating in the country now, to go for sabotage. The new FDTL of the DGCA has mandated that weekly rest of pilots must be 48 hours in stead of current 36 hours and night hours of duty must be extended from 12-00 AM-5-00 AM to 12-00 AM-6-00 AM. Besides maximum night flying time has been reduced to 8 hours in stead of longer hours at present and maximum night duty has been capped at 10 hours with only 2 night landings allowed in stead of 6 earlier. This changed schedule may affect the avaricious profitability of the private Indigo airlines and they might have gone for sabotage to blackmail the government into restoring status quo ante, the civil aviation expert said on condition of anonymity.

more news...