The Adani Group, which operates the country’s major airports, has come under public scrutiny following the Indigo controversy.
SNPNEWS.IN News (Gurmail Kamboj): After the change in FDTL rules, India’s largest airline Indigo cancelled nearly 1,500 flights in the first week of December, following which the Adani Group became the target of widespread criticism on social media.
Social media users are claiming on a large scale that on 28 December 2025, Gautam Adani-owned company purchased FSTC for ₹820 crore. They are alleging that, in collusion with the central government, this created a shortage of pilots and crew members in institutions like Indigo, causing thousands of passengers to suffer immense inconvenience.
However, the reality is the complete opposite.
The Adani Group (which operates airports like Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Lucknow, Jaipur, Guwahati, and the upcoming Navi Mumbai airport, and is one of India’s largest airport operators) actually acquired:
● Acquired Air Works (India’s largest private MRO company that handles aircraft maintenance, repair & overhaul) for ≈ ₹400 crore in Dec 2024–Jan 2025.
● Acquired Flight Simulation Technique Centre (FSTC) (India’s leading independent pilot training & full-flight simulator company) for an enterprise value of ₹820 crore on 27–28 November 2025.
Linking the FSTC acquisition to the IndiGo crisis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday (Dec 5, 2025):
By linking the FSTC acquisition with the Indigo crisis, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi alleged on Friday that the Indigo “fiasco” is the price of this government’s “monopoly model” and stressed that India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies.
As soon as Rahul Gandhi’s tweet went viral, people on a massive scale started connecting it to the Adani-FSTC deal and began claiming that the Adani Group is “entering the airline business” – whereas the truth is completely the opposite. Adani has only invested in aircraft maintenance (MRO) and pilot/crew training companies, not in any airline.
In view of Indigo cancelling more than 550 flights on Thursday and around 400 on Friday, disrupting the travel plans of hundreds of passengers, Gandhi said it is ordinary Indians who are paying the price in delays, cancellations, and helplessness.“
The IndiGo fiasco is the cost of this government’s monopoly model. Once again, it is ordinary Indians who pay the price – in delays, cancellations and helplessness,” the Leader of Opposition said. “India deserves fair competition in every sector, not match-fixing monopolies,” Gandhi emphasised.
Read It: IndiGo Aircraft Pilot Announced Emergency On 21 May, Plane’s Nose Severely Damaged
IndiGo told the aviation regulator DGCA on Thursday that operations are expected to fully stabilise by 10 February 2026, and sought temporary relaxation in flight duty rules until then – the same day the country’s largest airline cancelled more than 550 flights, disrupting hundreds of passengers’ travel plans.
Criticising the government, Congress General Secretary (Organisation) K C Venugopal said the Modi government has reduced what was once a competitive industry to just two players, prioritising corporate greed over passenger interests. Taking to X, he wrote:
“550+ IndiGo flights cancelled in a single day is the direct result of the government sleeping at the wheel while a regulatory change has placed deadly pressure on India’s aviation sector. Thousands of passengers are being left stranded at airports for 8–10+ hours only to be told their flight stands cancelled.
What mechanism has the government and the aviation minister put in place to ensure passengers get full refunds for these cancellations? How are they ensuring IndiGo is taking care of passenger welfare?
”The collapse of Jet Airways and Go First, the monopoly merger of Air India – every step that has contributed to this disastrous outcome has happened under their (BJP govt’s) watch.
As a result, ordinary passengers who need to travel urgently can no longer afford air tickets, there is zero accountability of airlines or the aviation minister or the government, and now nationwide flight disruptions. This is not a routine operational hiccup; this is government-sanctioned systemic failure that will keep repeating until immediate stringent measures are taken,” Venugopal said.
Terming the IndiGo situation a national crisis, Congress MP Karti P Chidambaram said the government should make a statement on the floor of Parliament about what has caused this crisis and what the government is doing to resolve it, as it is affecting passengers across the country.