Amidst a barrage of criticism, Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu held his calm, apologised and assured the nation that such a disruption would not happen again. It takes guts and gumption and the youngest in Modi cabinet has it in abundance

Civil Aviation Minister Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu, the youngest member of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cabinet, has squarely blamed IndiGo’s senior management for last week’s unprecedented disruption that saw over 1,600 flights cancelled in a single day. Calling it “gross mismanagement,” he said the crisis stemmed from poor crew rostering and operational lapses, not regulatory pressure.

The cancellations, which stranded thousands of passengers during the peak holiday season, followed IndiGo’s struggle to comply with the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms introduced on November 1 to improve pilot safety. The minister said the DGCA had held multiple meetings with the airline, including one on December 1, where clarifications were issued, yet IndiGo “never indicated any difficulty” in implementing the rules.

“This was totally IndiGo’s mistake,” he said, stressing that the DGCA’s role is safety oversight, not day-to-day management of airline operations. A four-member DGCA committee has been set up to investigate the crisis, and the minister warned of strict action if senior-level negligence is established. While he did not directly threaten the CEO’s removal, he said the government “will not hesitate” to act in public interest. He also clarified that CEO Pieter Elbers’ now-viral folded-hands gesture was an apology to the nation, not to him personally.

The minister admitted the government was surprised by the scale of the chaos, especially after IndiGo earlier assured smooth compliance with FDTL norms. Rejecting claims that the DGCA was underprepared, he pointed to ongoing recruitment of 190 personnel and insisted safety standards had not been compromised.

Apologising to passengers, he said the ministry ensured immediate relief—food, water, accommodation, fare caps, and waiver of rebooking charges. A temporary 10% cut in IndiGo’s operations was imposed as a deterrent, along with limited FDTL exemptions until February 10 to help restore normalcy.

Defending the broader aviation policy, he dismissed allegations of a duopoly favouring IndiGo and the Air India group. Deregulation since 1994, the UDAN scheme, aircraft leasing reforms, and MRO expansion were all aimed at encouraging more players, he said. 

With domestic traffic expected to touch 300 million by 2030, he stressed that India needs more airlines but remains constrained by global aircraft supply shortages.

Assuring that operations are stabilising, he noted IndiGo is already operating nearly 2,000 flights a day. “Don’t fear, everyone. It’s the holiday season—please travel,” he urged, adding that the episode, though a “scar,” would ultimately strengthen India’s civil aviation standards.