Parliament Question: Evaluation of Airline Operations

GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF CIVIL AVIATION LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. : 2230 ( TO BE ANSWERED ON THE 12th February 2026 ) EVALUATION OF AIRLINE OPERATIONS

2230. SHRI VE VAITHILINGAM Will the Minister of CIVIL AVIATION

be pleased to state:-

(a) whether the Government has evaluated a situation in which one airline controls a very large market share that may result in systemic vulnerability including sudden service breakdowns and fare escalation during operational troubles;

(b) if so, the details thereof along with the details of the Government's assessment on risks to national mobility including availability of flights to remote regions, protection of consumer interests and support for competition among carriers for balanced growth;

and

(c) whether the Government proposes to undertake structural reforms to encourage wider participation in the aviation sector through measures such as fair slot allocation, transparent route policies and safeguards to ensure uninterrupted air services even if a dominant airline faces operational strain and if so, the details thereof? ANSWER Minister of State in the Ministry of CIVIL AVIATION (Shri Murlidhar Mohol)

(a) to (c) : The Government remains committed to promoting a balanced, competitive and resilient civil aviation ecosystem so that national connectivity is not adversely impacted by operational disruptions in any single airline. With the repeal of the Air Corporations Act, the Indian aviation sector has been fully deregulated, and airlines are free to operate flights and deploy capacity on routes based on their commercial viability and market considerations. At the policy level, capacity diversification is being encouraged through rationalisation of traffic rights, expansion of airport infrastructure, facilitation of fleet induction by multiple carriers, and broadening of regional air connectivity under the UDAN Scheme, which enables several airlines to operate on underserved and unserved routes. Additionally DGCA monitors airline schedules, crew- planning and operational preparedness to ensure that carriers maintain adequate resilience and contingency buffers. These measures collectively ensure that the growth of domestic connectivity is broad-based. Regional and remote area connectivity is supported through policy interventions such as the UDAN Scheme. Further, the Route Dispersal Guidelines (RDG) are in place to ensure balanced deployment of capacity across trunk, regional and remote routes, thereby supporting availability of air services to less-served areas alongside major routes.

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