Political Circles Feel the Heat of Increasing Flight Delays

In an emerging narrative, the issue of chronic flight delays in India has ignited a political debate. The story began when Congress leader Shashi Tharoor shared a collection of news reports highlighting significant delays and mishaps at various airports nationwide on social media. This action garnered feedback from Jyotiraditya Scindia, the current Aviation Minister, who criticized Tharoor’s approach.

The Debate

Terming Tharoor as an armchair critic, Scindia emphasized that sharing content from the internet does not equate to conducting ‘research.’ He also indicated the perceived inability of the Congress party to handle such complex, technical sectors, such as aviation.

In his criticism, Scindia stated, “For someone who is lost in his esoteric world of thesaurus, data mining of selective press articles from the internet is considered ‘research.’ Here are some factual points for armchair critic Shashi Tharoor and the Cong IT Cell that might help them understand the intricacies of technical sectors such as civil aviation.”

The Current Air Travel Climate

Over the last week, due to North India’s dense fog conditions and the congestion at Mumbai’s airport, flight delays have spiked. Additionally, claims of rude treatment from airline staff have been brought to light by Bollywood celebrities and several other social media users. The issue has seen heightened attention following a passenger getting arrested for assaulting the pilot during an announcement of a delay.

Additional Controversy

Tharoor, a Member of Parliament from Congress, questioned the preparedness of the government and airlines in managing adverse weather conditions. He painted a grim picture of India’s aviation sector, referring to long flight delays and passengers being left on the tarmac.

In response, Scindia debunked the points raised by Tharoor, detailing the measures being implemented for smoother operations. Scindia termed the situation where passengers were forced to eat meals on the tarmac as unacceptable, with corrective actions swiftly following these incidents.

Scindia stated, “The treatment meted out to passengers in this case was unacceptable. We have taken immediate action by sending a show cause notice to the concerned operators. Moreover, SOPs for better communication have been issued to passengers, and their implementation is being monitored thrice daily.”

Future Actions

Scindia revealed a six-point action plan, intended to tackle the disruptions caused by fog to commercial flight operations. As part of this strategy, ‘War rooms’ will be established at six metro airports to address passenger grievances promptly. Additionally, to ensure safety, sufficient CISF (Central Industrial Security Force) personnel will be available round-the-clock at these airports.

Scindia also announced the operationalisation of Runway 29L at Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport under CAT III, signifying the runway’s readiness to handle take-offs and departures during dense fog scenarios.

This news comes from the source of Reader Wall and is presented to provide a comprehensive overview of the ongoing discussions and developments in India’s aviation sector.