IndiGo disruptions: Civil aviation minister pins chaos on crew mismanagement; vows to ensure accountability

Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday held IndiGo responsible for the recent chaos at major airports across India, attributing the disruptions to the airline’s mismanagement of crew under the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The minister said the government had granted the airline certain abeyance from FDTL rules to bring operations back to normal. “From November 1, the DGCA came up with new FDTL regulations. The ministry also engaged continuously with airlines for at least six months. Other carriers, including Air India and SpiceJet, have adjusted. What has unfolded is due to mismanagement by IndiGo regarding its crew,” Naidu said, as quoted by ANI. He added that a committee has been formed to probe the disruptions and ensure accountability, noting, “Whoever is responsible for the present situation needs to pay for it.”Naidu stressed that the immediate priority is restoring normalcy and supporting passengers. “Five lakh people travel by air every day. We are closely monitoring this and the FDTL norms and scheduling the network. We will thoroughly investigate this and ensure that all airlines exercise due diligence. We can’t compromise on safety,” he said.The minister explained that IndiGo was initially instructed to resolve delays within two days. “However, we saw delays happening yesterday as well. Therefore, we told IndiGo to cancel major operations so that the inconvenience at the airport and the congestion due to delays are reduced,” he said. Special attention has been directed toward senior citizens and differently-abled passengers, ensuring food, water, accommodation, and smooth communication at airports.IndiGo, which controls nearly 70% of India’s domestic traffic, has been granted a one-time exemption from the DGCA’s pilot night duty rules until February 10, 2026. This allows the airline to bypass stricter flight duty and rest period norms, specifically for night duty between 0000 and 0650 hours. The DGCA has also withdrawn the rule restricting substitution of pilot leave for weekly rest. These measures aim to stabilise operations amid the airline’s crew shortage, though the Airlines’ Pilots Association (ALPA) India has criticised the move, arguing it undermines safety regulations.The disruptions, which began on December 3, have led IndiGo to cancel over 1,000 flights in recent days, affecting thousands of passengers, as per PTI. The civil aviation ministry anticipates that complete restoration of services will be achieved within the next three days, with normal operations resuming progressively from Saturday.