'Best Time To Start An Airline': Aviation Minister Speaks After IndiGo Fiasco

India's civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, in his address at the parliament, called for the creation of a fresh airline in the wake of the IndiGo fiasco that led to the cancellation of over 2,000 flights in the last few days.

The slew of cancellations had big ramifications, with scores of air passengers stuck in airports or being forced to pay a fortune to make alternate arrangements.

In the midst of this chaos, there has been increased scrutiny on the civil aviation ministry.

Speaking in the parliament, aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu has addressed these woes while calling it for the creation of more airlines to ease the burden on the system.

"This is the best time to start an airline. India has the capacity of at least five more airlines," he said.

Naidu's comments come against the backdrop of India's fledgling aviation industry, which is effectively operating with a duopoly.

Naidu went on to address the root cause of the disruption, stating that the operational failure lay squarely with the carrier.

"IndiGo was supposed to manage their crew roster," he said, effectively shutting down defenses related to sudden regulatory ambiguity.

Naidu added that the ministry had held a proactive meeting with IndiGo officials on Dec. 1 specifically regarding Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL).

According to Naidu, all necessary clarifications were provided to the airline during this session, and "there was no issue" flagged by the carrier at the time.

The aviation minister made it clear that the disruption was caused by IndiGo's internal planning failure rather than any regulatory hurdle.

Naidu concluded his address with a stern warning to operators, stating that the ministry will not tolerate negligence. "In case of non-compliance or non-adherence, strict action will be taken," he said.