Airports Reporting Normal Conditions: Naidu Tells LS Amid IndiGo Crisis

 New Delhi: Union Aviation Minister K. Ram Mohan Naidu on Tuesday said that IndiGo operations are gradually resuming and the government will remain vigilant until full normalcy is achieved. Speaking in Lok Sabha, the minister emphasised that IndiGo is being held fully accountable for the chaos and added new flying rules are non-negotiable and will not be revoked for any airline. The government has asked IndiGo to cut flights by 10% to help restore order.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was on Tuesday summoned by the minister at his office. The minister posted a photograph of IndiGo CEO sitting in front of him with folded hands on X.

The IndiGo flight situation is slowly improving as on Tuesday the airline cancelled 422 flights from six metro airports. Delhi Airport witnessed 152 flight cancellations, Bengaluru 121, Hyderabad 58, Mumbai 41 and Chennai over 50.

In a notice to IndiGo, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday said the airline has not demonstrated an ability to operate the earlier approved winter schedule flights efficiently. “Therefore, it is directed to reduce the schedule by 10% across sectors, especially on high demand, high frequency flights, and to avoid single-flight operation on a sector IndiGo,” the DGCA said. The airline has been asked to submit revised schedule by December 10. As part of the winter schedule for 2025-26, the airline has been operating over 2,200 flights per day.

“During the last week, many passengers faced severe inconvenience due to IndiGo’s internal mismanagement of crew rosters, flight schedules and inadequate communication. While the enquiry and necessary actions are underway, another meeting with IndiGo’s top management was held to review the stabilization measures. Today again, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers was summoned to the Ministry to provide an update. He confirmed that 100% of the refunds for flights affected till December 6 have been completed,” said Naidu in a post on X after meeting with IndiGo team.

“A strict instruction to expedite the completion of the remaining refunds and baggage handover was given. The Ministry considers it necessary to curtail the overall IndiGo routes, which will help in stabilizing the airline’s operations and lead to reduced cancellations. A curtailment of 10% has been ordered. While abiding with it, IndiGo will continue to cover all its destinations as before. Indigo has been instructed to comply with all the directives of the Ministry, including fare capping and passenger convenience measures without any exception,” Naidu added.

IndiGo, on its part, said there was "steady improvement across the network", as it reinstated flights to all 138 stations. It flew more than 1,800 flights on Tuesday, which will go up to nearly 1,900 on Wednesday, IndiGo said in a statement.

Earlier in the day, Naidu told Lok Sabha said that no airline, however large, will be permitted to cause hardship to passengers through planning failures and non-compliance with regulations. The minister made it clear that "strict and appropriate action will be taken" against IndiGo which accountable for the mass disruptions in its flight schedules.

The minister said the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already issued notices to IndiGo and that the airline is being held fully accountable for the chaos caused by its internal crew-rostering failures.

"Safety in civil aviation is completely non-negotiable," he said, adding that IndiGo had assured to comply with the Revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) directed by the DGCA. The minister added that despite these assurances, prima-facie it was observed that internal rostering disruptions led to large-scale cancellations, causing inconvenience to thousands of passengers.

"The government is determined to build a more robust and competitive aviation ecosystem. Through our policies, we are encouraging more new airlines to start and operate in India, ensuring fair access to airport capacity and eliminating any possibility of a duopoly controlling connectivity and pricing in our skies. More airlines mean more choice, more affordability and more resilience for passengers," the minister said.

He added the government will remain vigilant until full normalcy is achieved and will continue to ensure that every passenger in India travels safely, comfortably and with the respect they deserve.

He asserted that airports across the country are reporting normal conditions, with no crowding or distress. "Refunds, baggage tracing and passenger support measures remain under the supervision of the ministry.

He added that the DGCA has issued show-cause notices to IndiGo's senior leadership and commenced a detailed enforcement investigation. “Depending on the outcome, strict and appropriate action empowered under the Aircraft Act and Rules will be taken. No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause such hardship to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance or non-adherence to statutory provisions," Naidu said.

"Also, IndiGo has been directed to restructure its operations, add reserve crew capacity, improve passenger handling and restore normal schedules without delay. Enhanced oversight on the ground continues," he said. The minister said passengers' interests have been at the centre of every decision taken by the Government, which intervened to cap fares after sudden demand spikes and opportunistic pricing.