The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken a stern view of the widespread flight disruptions and cancellations across IndiGo’s network, with Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu summoning the airline’s top management for an urgent review meeting on Thursday evening.
Officials from the Ministry, DGCA and Airports Authority of India (AAI) were present as IndiGo attributed the disruptions to crew-planning challenges, implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) mandated by court orders, and adverse seasonal weather conditions. The new FDTL norms are aimed at improving pilot fatigue management and overall flight safety.
However, the Minister expressed “clear displeasure” at the airline’s handling of the situation, stressing that IndiGo had sufficient lead time to prepare for the regulatory transition. He directed the carrier to urgently normalise operations and categorically warned against any increase in airfares in the wake of these disruptions.
The Ministry has also instructed IndiGo to inform passengers proactively of potential cancellations and to provide all required facilities — including hotel accommodation — to minimise inconvenience. AAI officials have been told to keep airport directors on high alert and extend full support to stranded passengers.
In a strong compliance push, DGCA has been tasked with strict real-time monitoring of IndiGo’s operations. This includes on-ground inspections at major airports, oversight of passenger-handling arrangements and deployment of officers at IndiGo’s operational control centres to track delays, communication gaps and recovery measures.