New Delhi: Safety in civil aviation is completely non-negotiable,” declared Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu today in the parliament, responding to the severe nationwide disruption in IndiGo flights.

He emphasised that no airline, however large, will be allowed to disrupt passenger travel or compromise safety standards.

The minister told MPs that the ongoing crisis with IndiGo was traced to “crew-rostering failures” and internal planning lapses on the airline’s part — not to external technical glitches or faults with scheduling software.

He added that stringent civil-aviation regulations (“CARs”) exist precisely to safeguard travellers in cases of flight delays or cancellations, and reiterated the government’s commitment to upholding “top global standards” in airline safety and operations.

As for the fallout of this operational mess: IndiGo is reported to have cancelled thousands of flights over the past week, affecting hundreds of thousands of passengers nationwide, choking major airports and triggering widespread outrage.

In response to passenger hardship and to the government’s orders, IndiGo has begun issuing large-scale refunds.

As of early December, the airline said it has returned ₹827 crore to affected passengers, and has started delivering separated baggage — over 4,500 bags have already been reunited with their owners.

Minister Naidu warned that if IndiGo is found at fault, its senior management — including the accountable manager/COO — could face legal consequences under last year’s updated aircraft rules: fines up to ₹1 crore, or even imprisonment for up to three years.

He said the government wants this incident to serve as a “precedent” — a warning that negligence or mismanagement, even by a large airline, will not be tolerated.

More about the crisis:

The crisis began shortly after the implementation — on 1 November 2025 — of new work-hour and rest-time regulations for pilots and crew (known as Flight Duty Time Limitation or FDTL rules).

These rules aim to reduce fatigue and enhance safety by limiting working hours and night flights.

According to published data, the disruption has involved a massive wave of cancellations — several thousand flights over a week, and a sharp drop in on-time performance for IndiGo.

In reaction, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and the Ministry have ordered the airline to carry out all pending refunds and baggage deliveries immediately; they also warned against rescheduling fees or fare hikes due to the crisis.

The government has formed a high-level inquiry into the airline’s internal failures, signalling a stricter regulatory environment going forward.

What This Means for Passengers and the Aviation Sector

Ram Mohan Naidu’s firm statement marks a turning point: the government has made clear that large airlines will be held fully accountable for operational failures, especially when passenger safety and convenience are jeopardised.

In the immediate term, affected passengers can expect reimbursements, improved baggage delivery, and some respite from the widespread chaos. For the broader industry, this could usher in tighter oversight, more rigorous compliance with duty-time and safety rules, and possibly a reshuffling of roles and responsibilities within airlines to avoid similar disruptions.