Passengers 'Can’t Suffer Because Airline Is at Fault': Aviation Minister on Why FDTL Norms Relaxed Amid IndiGo's Flight Crisis | Exclusive

New Delhi: Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu on Friday has said the government moved swiftly to ease the operational crisis at IndiGo, stressing that passengers must not bear the burden of

airline mismanagement. In an exclusive conversation with Times Now, the minister defended the decision to temporarily keep the new Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms in abeyance, citing passenger interest and the need to restore normal airline operations.Naidu asserted the government’s position clearly, saying, "I want to clarify this very straightforwardly. There is no hesitation. This has been done on the interest of the passengers. For me passengers are very important and I don’t want them to be waiting at the airport and facing this kind of a situation just because the fault is at the airlines."

The minister said his “first priority is to ensure aviation is back on track, the travel is back on track.”He added that a DGCA inquiry has been ordered into IndiGo’s scheduling miscalculations."A proper enquiry will be done on why this situation has come to. DGCA will be enquiring into it and once the findings will be there, we are going to take strict action," the minister said.

Opposition Criticism ‘Political’, Says Aviation Minister

Responding to opposition parties questioning the government’s handling of the disruptions, Ram Mohan Naidu said their stance lacked sincerity toward public welfare.

“I think the opposition has politics in mind and not people in mind. If they had people in mind, they will understand the intention of the government that we have been continuously engaging. We want to ensure normalcy is prevailed. We are taking action on whoever has done wrong here. So, there is nothing which is left aside. Whatever government has to do, we are doing it. Today, aviation is a very growing sector. There is more capacity being added. So there are challenges which are going to come. Ministry is continuously engaging with all necessary stakeholders to ensure passengers are put at the foremost priority and also safety is not compromised and the momentum that we have build that continuously grows,” he said.

IndiGo’s Crew Rostering ‘Miscalculation’ Triggered Crisis

Addressing the reason behind the sudden spike in cancellations, Union Minister Naidu said the root cause lay with IndiGo’s crew rostering issues after the airline failed to appropriately adjust to the new FDTL norms. Speaking about the IndiGo crisis, Minister said, “I think the fact is very clear that the new FDTL norms that were introduced by November 1st, 2025, all the airlines were supposed to comply for it and they had good time to comply also. Indigo, for some reason, they had a miscalculation of the flight crew and the rostering and everything. That was why the effect came into visibility from December 3. We have seen both the days, 3rd and 4th, a lot of delays happening.”

He added that the ministry had moved swiftly after the disruptions surfaced.“But I can tell you that right since the issue started happening, the ministry has taken cognisance of it and we went into immediate mode of looking into how best we can normalize the situation. Because we have observed a lot of passengers waiting at the airports for a huge amount of time and we were very strict in that sense that this should be normalised at the earliest. So, airlines, especially Indigo, and then airport operators, all the necessary stakeholders, we were in continuous engagement with them and keeping the passengers in mind. Our whole interest was to provide the most comfort and convenience to the passengers who were stuck at this time," Naidu added.The minister said airport operators had been instructed to provide immediate assistance to travellers. “So, we have instructed our airport operators, let it be food, water, accommodation, everything should be arranged and there should be no delay in communication. Because the communication leads to certain gaps. So, that all we wanted to take care,” Naidu further said.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iKVSlw8OROM&t=1s

He confirmed that a formal inquiry had been launched into IndiGo’s missteps. “And then on the airlines part, we have observed this miscalculation from the Indigo part and we have ordered a strict inquiry into it. The inquiry is going to start and as we find the details of the inquiry, we are going to take strict action. That is one side of it. But we also have to ensure that the people who are already booked, who already want to travel, it is the holiday season also and there is a lot of travel that usually happens at this time. So, we have to cater for them. So, for that, Indigo, what it needs to do, we have done thorough consultation with all the stakeholders,” Naidu told.The minister said discussions with pilot associations also contributed to the temporary pausing of FDTL norms. “In fact, I have sat down with the pilot’s body also. Everyone has sat down and we have decided that the FDTL norms, we will keep it in abeyance for some time. We have a phased approach. DGCA, ministry will be monitoring what Indigo is doing, how it is going to get back to the new FDTL norms. We are going to ensure that it is going to be done but in a phased manner so that the passengers’ inconvenience is at the least,” he added.Naidu also explained why cancellations continued on Friday, saying, “And why you would have seen more cancellations today because it was a calculated approach that the backlogs that were there yesterday and day before, people who are waiting to go to their destinations, who wanted to go and who has emergency travel, we wanted to take them." https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1w4LckgJQ5Y&t=4s FDTL Norms Suspended Temporarily, Phased Implementation Ahead Naidu revealed that after consultations with stakeholders, including pilot bodies, the government decided to temporarily suspend the new crew duty-time regulations.“We have decided that the FDTL norms, we will keep it in abeyance for some time. We have a phased approach. We are going to ensure that it is going to be done but in a phased manner so that the passengers’ inconvenience is at the least,” he added. On the duration for which the FDTL norms will remain suspended, Naidu stated, “This we are seeing because fog season is also into it and if there are any fog related problems that are not spiral down into effect also. So, we are hopeful till 2-3 months this is going to be there and as I have said we are going to have a phased approach in monitoring the situation also.” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CIJ41jJKHUo When Will Operations Normalise? Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told Times Now that operations were already improving across major hubs.Responding to when the situation would normalise, he said, “Today itself right now Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai - most of the metro have been cleared and by the midnight itself, most of the airports where they have been waiting will be cleared. All the baggages where there is delay, we are monitoring to an extent that even the bag which are being delayed has to be delivered. Everything is being monitored and by midnight, you will see that congestion or the waiting, the problems passengers were facing will be finished. From tomorrow, there will be a calculated operation that we are going to start through IndiGo. We will also monitor the operations. Once things will look clear, we are going to expand it and by Monday-Tuesday, we will see complete normalcy."

Minister's Message to Passengers: ‘YOU ARE THE TOP MOST PRIORITY’

Expressing regret for the inconvenience caused, Naidu said IndiGo has been instructed to waive all charges for cancellations, rebooking, or itinerary changes.“Whoever is facing that inconvenience has to be facilitated by IndiGo itself.” He also said other airlines have been warned not to exploit the situation through fare hikes.The minister assured travellers saying, “I want to tell my passengers that at the ministry on behalf of the government, ‘YOU ARE THE TOP MOST PRIORITY’. The people and passengers are our interest.”