Govt sets up 24x7 aviation control room for passengers, resolves 13,000 complaints in three weeks

The civil aviation ministry has set up a round-the-clock Passenger Assistance Control Room (PACR) to speed up the resolution of air passenger complaints, as the country grapples with rising congestion, flight delays and service issues.

The control room, housed at Udaan Bhawan in New Delhi, brings together officials from the civil aviation ministry, aviation regulator, airport operator and airlines to monitor operations in real time and intervene directly in passenger grievances, the ministry said in a statement.

Civil aviation ministry secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the PACR has resolved more than 13,000 passenger complaints since becoming operational on December 3, the day IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights across the country.

“The PACR operates round-the-clock, continuously monitoring aviation operations, attending to passenger calls and coordinating real-time assistance and grievance resolution very efficiently and effectively,” Sinha said.

India is one of the world’s fastest-growing aviation markets, with domestic passenger traffic crossing record levels in recent years, putting increasing pressure on airlines and airport infrastructure.

The rapid expansion of the country’s aviation sector and its largely duopolistic nature has led to persistent complaints related to flight delays, cancellations, refunds, baggage handling and overcrowding at airports, particularly during peak travel periods.

The new facility integrates the government’s AirSewa grievance redressal platform and uses data dashboards to track complaint types, response timelines and action taken by stakeholders.

Airline representatives are physically present at the control room, allowing on-the-spot coordination and faster resolution of issues, according to the ministry.

Complaints related to delays, cancellations, refunds and baggage are prioritised and handled under India’s Passenger Charter norms, the statement said.

IndiGo's Director Customer Experience Pratik Arjun Sen said there is a mixed bag of queries from passengers and the grievances are sought to be resolved at the earliest.

Since the disruptions earlier this month, the customer experience team has been working hard to address the issues, including ticket refunds, and there has been a significant improvement, he noted.

Ajeet Tiwari, Assistant Manager of Operations at SpiceJet, said flight delays are among the grievances flagged by passengers and at the centre, the work flow is smooth with issues getting addressed.

Lisa Agarwal, who is part of the Customer Happiness Team at Air India Express, said the grievances include those related to lost or damaged baggage, meal not being served onboard a flight.

The grievances are sought to be resolved within 72 hours of receiving them, she added.

The initiative involves coordination with the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation, the Airports Authority of India, and airline operators.

Sinha said the ministry plans to further strengthen the control room with additional manpower, technology and logistical support, as it seeks to place passengers “at the centre” of India’s civil aviation ecosystem.