NEW DELHI: The aviation minister K Rammohan Naidu vowed in Rajya Sabha on Monday that the government will take “very, very strict action” against Indigo over the recent fiasco to “set an example” across the industry.Speaking during question hour, Naidu said the disruption was a result of IndiGo’s internal lapses. Blaming the carrier for failing to manage its crew and duty roster, the minister said, “We are not taking this situation easily. We are doing an inquiry. We will take very, very strict action not only for this situation but also as an example.”

Responding to a query from Congress MP Pramod Tiwari, who sought to know whether the cancellations stemmed from a malfunction in the automatic message switching system (AMSS) – the glitch that hit flight operations in early November 2025 – Naidu clarified that the two incidents were unrelated. The IndiGo crisis, he said, arose from “anomalies and mismanagement” in the airline’s crew roster system.The minister also outlined the timeline of the revised flight duty time limitations (FDTL), introduced after a high court order in April 2025. Of the 22 guidelines, 15 were implemented on July 1 and the remaining seven on November 1. He stressed that multiple consultations were held with all stakeholders, including IndiGo, and that the rules had to be followed “without any compromise on safety.” Naidu said the directorate general of civil aviation has been in continuous discussions with airlines since FDTL came fully into force, and had granted limited exemptions based on operational variations and safety assessments. Noting that the crisis erupted “almost one whole month” after the final phase of FDTL implementation, he pointed out that IndiGo did not flag any imminent issues during a meeting with the ministry on December 1.“This is a day-to-day operation – something that Indigo should have maintained. Indigo was supposed to manage the crew, roaster through its day-to-day operations,” he said.Reiterating that accountability is non-negotiable, Naidu added: “If there is any mis-compliance, non-compliance, non-adherence for any single person, entity and organisation, or any operator functioning in this civil aviation, we will take very, very strict action so that we set an example in the industry.”(With inputs from agencies)