IndiGo Crisis Near Resolution, Action Against Airline Inevitable After Inquiry, Says Aviation Minister

Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has said that IndiGo’s operational breakdown is close to being resolved, and confirmed that action against the airline is certain.

In an interview with NDTV after IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers acknowledged cancellation of more than 1,000 flights, Naidu stressed that other airlines continued operations smoothly under the new FDTL norms that came into effect in November.

This, he noted, indicates the issue lies solely with IndiGo.

Naidu said the situation is improving, noting that major congestion at metro airports such as Delhi, Mumbai and Chennai has now been cleared.

"I can say it is on the verge of getting resolved. The major congestion has happened in the metro airports... and we are seeing all the metro airports, most of them - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai - they have been cleared right now of all the backlog of passengers that was there for the past two days," the minister in response to a question on when passengers could expect that things would get better.

"The other ones will also be finished by tonight. And Indigo is going to start operations with limited capacity again from tomorrow," he added.

He assured that passenger disruptions should end by tomorrow, while a return to IndiGo’s full operational capacity may take a few more days.

Responding to concerns about oversight, Naidu said the ministry and DGCA had anticipated challenges and remained in constant coordination with airlines.

The new FDTL norms, designed to ensure pilots and cabin crew get enough rest, had come into force on 1 November.

He also cited the rapid completion of EASA-mandated Airbus A320 updates on 323 aircraft without disruptions as evidence of preparedness.

"We have been thoroughly monitoring, we have been discussing with the airlines, and we have given them multiple forums to tell us if such a situation is developing. So, that is why we have set up a committee today to inquire into this (the IndiGo disruptions), find the people at fault, and we are going to take action against them," he said.

He reiterated that FDTL norms cannot be blamed since other airlines complied without difficulty.

"Whatever issue we are talking about is related to Indigo Airlines. So the fault is at Indigo, not at the major level, the ministry level or some other level. If there was some problem regarding the FDTL or something from the ministry, all the airlines should have faced issues, but that is not the case here," he asserted.

When asked whether IndiGo will face action or penalties, Naidu said, "It's not could be, it will be. There will be action on them, because this is not something which we want to entertain. We are very clear that the focus of the ministry is the passenger... It is our job, our responsibility, to ensure that these kinds of incidents don't happen next time. So, we are very, very clear that action is going to follow the inquiry," he said.

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