Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that the massive flight disruptions caused by IndiGo earlier this month were the result of the airline’s own operational failures, not regulatory issues. The disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded across major Indian airports for nearly a week.

Speaking at an India Today event, the minister stated that the widespread cancellations on December 3 and 4 were directly linked to problems within IndiGo’s crew rostering system after the enforcement of the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

Naidu said the airline failed to properly manage crew deployment despite having enough time to adjust to the updated fatigue rules for pilots. “The crisis was a result of gross mismanagement by IndiGo. There was some anomaly with their internal crew rostering system, which could have been avoided in compliance with the new norms under the FDTL guidelines,” he said. “This is why we saw the domino effect of cancellations on December 3 and 4.”

He stressed that the responsibility for the chaos lies fully with the airline.

“This is the problem at IndiGo’s end and their management,” he added.

The minister clarified that both the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA had been monitoring operations closely after the new FDTL rules came into effect on November 1. There were some routine cancellations initially, followed by several days with no issues at all.

Naidu dismissed suggestions that the regulator overlooked early indicators of a crisis. He also revealed that the ministry met with IndiGo on December 1, just two days before the major cancellations.

“They never mentioned that they had any issue at all,” he said.
“We were in constant touch, providing oversight, and giving them opportunities to come forward with concerns.”

Naidu made it clear that while the ministry ensures safety and regulatory compliance, it cannot monitor the day-to-day internal systems of private airlines. He also responded to a viral image of IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Vikram Singh Mehta appearing to apologise to him during a recent meeting.

“He folded his hands as an apology not only to me but to the people of the country who faced difficulty,” Naidu clarified.

The minister defended the updated FDTL norms, saying they were introduced after thorough assessment and were aimed at improving pilot well-being and overall flight safety. He questioned why only IndiGo struggled with compliance when all other airlines had adapted smoothly.

“Every other airline is complying with the new norms, and IndiGo also said they were fine with it,” he said. “If we have to monitor their everyday functioning, then what is the role of their senior management?”

Calling the situation “avoidable,” Naidu said such operational breakdowns should not occur again. He assured passengers that the government will ensure corrective action. “I am the minister responsible for the aviation sector, and it is my duty to make sure this does not happen again,” he said.