Amid chaos at Indian airports thanks to IndiGo’s mass flight cancellations, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu has expressed “clear displeasure” at the budget airline’s handling of the situation.
Naidu on Thursday chaired a high-level review with the top management of IndiGo along with officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Airports Authority of India (AAI).
A brief summary of the meeting shared by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) noted that IndiGo, on the instructions of Minister Ram Mohan Naidu, implemented the revised Flight Duty Time Limits (FDTL) norms in a phased manner.
However, the statement said the minister “expressed clear displeasure with the way the airline handled the situation”.
Naidu also emphasized that IndiGo has been given enough preparation time to ensure a smooth transition to the new regulatory requirements implemented by the DGCA from November 1, 2025.
Special emphasis on layout for flyers
In the meeting, the minister also asked IndiGo to proactively inform passengers about all likely cancellations well in advance. He also told the airline that in the event of any cancellation, “all necessary facilities, including hotel accommodation where requested”, would have to be provided immediately.
Further, Naidu instructed aviation watchdog DGCA to monitor real-time flight operations of IndiGo at major airports, including conducting field inspections.
He stressed that the DGCA should lay special emphasis on passenger handling arrangements by IndiGo, including timely communication with flyers in case of delays or cancellations.
Officers have also been deployed at IndiGo’s operational control centers to maintain round-the-clock surveillance, the press release added.
After the meeting, Naidu also posted on X and wrote, “Inspected Indigo operations along with senior civil aviation ministry and DGCA officials. I have instructed DGCA and concerned officials in the ministry to keep a close eye on the network and directed Indigo to normalize operations as soon as possible.”
“Besides, AAI and other airport operators have also been directed to provide all support to the stranded passengers,” he added.
More flight cancellations await us
On Thursday, IndiGo admitted to planning flaws and added that more cancellations were expected in the coming two to three days as they worked to restore services to normal.
Corrective measures are already underway, the budget carrier said, adding that stable flight operations will be fully restored by February 10, 2026.
