Last month, opposition members in parliament had accused Patel of favouring foreign carriers at the cost of the domestic airlines. Questioning India's bilateral air services pacts with other countries, the opposition MPs said routes were given away to foreign carriers.

However, Patel had denied the allegations and said both Indian and foreign carriers benefited from the two-way agreements.

India has bilateral air services pacts with over 100 countries, including developed nations like the US, Canada, Russia, France, Britain, Germany, Japan and Australia.