Amid chaos across Indian airports courtesy of mass flight cancellations by IndiGo, Minister of Civil Aviation Kinjarapu Ram Mohan Naidu expressed "clear displeasure" at the handling of the situation by the budget airline.
Naidu chaired a high-level review with IndiGo's senior management on Thursday, along with officials from the Ministry of Civil Aviation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), and the Airports Authority of India (AAI).
A brief of the meeting shared by the Press Information Bureau (PIB) noted that IndiGo, as per minister Ram Mohan Naidu's instructions, had implemented revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms in a phased manner.
However, the release noted that the minister "expressed clear displeasure regarding the manner in which the situation has been handled by the airline".
Naidu also stressed that ample preparatory time had been given to IndiGo to ensure smooth transition to the new regulatory requirements implemented by the DGCA from 1 November 2025.
Special emphasis on arrangements for flyers
In the meeting, the minister also asked IndiGo to proactively inform passengers of any likely cancellations well in advance. He also told the airline that in case of any cancellations “all necessary facilities, including hotel accommodation where required” would have to be provided promptly.
Further, Naidu instructed aviation watchdog DGCA to conduct real-time monitoring of IndiGo's flight operations at major airports, including the carrying out of field inspections.
He stressed that the DGCA should have a special emphasis on passenger-handling arrangements made by IndiGo, including the timeliness of communication with flyers in the event of delays or cancellations.
Officers have also been deployed to IndiGo's operational control centres for 24x7 oversight, the press release added.
After the meeting, Naidu also posted on X, writing, “Reviewed the operations of Indigo along with senior officials of Ministry of Civil Aviation and DGCA. I have instructed the DGCA and concerned officials at the Ministry to keep a close watch on the network and directed Indigo to normalize the operations at the earliest.”
“In addition, AAI and other airport operators have also been directed to provide all the support to stranded passengers,” he added.
More flight cancellations ahead
IndiGo on Thursday acknowledged planning lapses, adding that more cancellations were due in the coming two to three days as they work to restore services to normalcy.
Corrective actions are already underway, the budget carrier said, adding that stable flight operations would be fully restored by 10 February 2026.
