Chennai Central DMK MP Dayanidhi Maran complained on Wednesday (December 17, 2025) about being “cut off” from internet access when flying, and asked Communications Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia to enable in-flight WiFi in Indian airspace. “If you look at the global map of the world, and you see, when you travel in an international flight, there is one red spot where you cannot get internet service — that is throughout India,” Mr. Maran said.
In response, Mr. Scindia, who has also been Civil Aviation Minister in the past, said that it was for the Ministry of Civil Aviation “to define the rules” on the matter, while the Department of Telecommunications was also framing regulations around the matter on its side. The exchange happened during zero hour in the Lok Sabha.
How are passengers able to access the Internet on aeroplanes?
“When we are developed, when we have our own services, and our Minister says, assuring that we will lead the world in 6G [technologies], why is it that you are banning internet services in our airspace,” Mr. Maran asked. “I travel from Chennai to Delhi. For two-and-a-half hours, I was without any internet or anything. Why is it that the Government of India is not making an effort to make sure that we get internet service all over our country?”
