New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for people-friendly regulations on Tuesday as India's largest airline faced its eighth consecutive day of mass flight cancellations, emphasising that "rules and laws are not to harass people" but should instead be used to improve governance.

Speaking at a National Democratic Alliance parliamentary party meeting, Modi stressed that passengers should not be inconvenienced by government regulations, according to Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju. "Rules and regulations are well and good, but they should be made to improve the system and not to harass the public," Rijiju quoted the Prime Minister as saying.

The remarks came as IndiGo continued to reel from operational chaos that has disrupted travel plans for hundreds of thousands of passengers since December 1. The airline, which operates over 2,200 daily flights and commands more than 65% of India's domestic market, has cancelled approximately 4,500 flights over the past week.

Government Cracks Down

In response to the crisis, the aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation on Tuesday ordered a 5% reduction in IndiGo's winter flight schedule, cutting approximately 115 daily flights across high-demand routes. The airline must submit a revised schedule by Wednesday evening, officials said.

Civil Aviation Minister K. Rammohan Naidu told Parliament the government will "take such stern action and set an example so that no aviation operator can take the Ministry lightly". IndiGo has refunded ₹745 crore for 7,30,655 cancelled bookings between December 1 and 8, according to ministry data.

Safety Rules Spark Crisis

The operational meltdown stems from new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules implemented on November 1 to address pilot fatigue. The regulations increased mandatory weekly rest for pilots from 36 to 48 hours and reduced permitted night landings from six to two.

IndiGo acknowledged that crew needs exceeded expectations and admitted its preparation was "insufficient," according to a DGCA statement. The airline has requested and received temporary relief from certain provisions until February 10, though this has drawn criticism from pilot associations who warn that the exemptions compromise safety.

The crisis has affected nearly 6,00,000 passengers, with on-time performance plunging to as low as 3.7% on some days. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has requested 10 days to stabilise operations.