The Union government told Parliament on Monday that IndiGo Airlines had raised no concerns during a meeting held on December 1—barely 24 hours before the carrier began mass flight cancellations that have now stretched into a week. Civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu, responding to questions in the Rajya Sabha, squarely attributed the crisis to IndiGo’s own “internal system” and rejected claims that the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms were responsible for the disruption.

Naidu said that the airline’s meltdown stemmed from problems in its crew rostering mechanism and poor internal planning. According to him, no objections about the FDTL rules were communicated by IndiGo during the December 1 meeting, contradicting the airline’s later suggestions that the revised crew duty norms were a major factor behind the cancellations.

The cancellations began abruptly on Tuesday afternoon and continued relentlessly through the week, entering their seventh day on Monday. More than 4,500 flights have been cancelled during this period. As IndiGo controls nearly 60 percent of India’s domestic aviation market, the scale of the disruption left thousands of passengers stranded, upending travel plans nationwide and overwhelming airport infrastructure.

When MPs raised concerns about the airline’s dominant market share, Naidu said the government was actively encouraging more players in the aviation sector to prevent overdependence on any single operator. “I want more players in the industry. Today, India has a capacity of five big airlines and there has been an effort from the ministry to encourage more airlines,” he said.

Addressing questions on refunds, Naidu informed the Rajya Sabha that 5,86,705 passenger cancellations—both airline-triggered and passenger-initiated—had been processed so far, amounting to ₹569 crore in refunds issued. He added that strict Civil Aviation Requirements (CARs) govern compensation and refunds for delays and cancellations, and that airlines are obligated to comply with these rules.

The minister also confirmed that an inquiry had been launched into the software issue that IndiGo claims contributed to the crisis. He noted that while technology upgrades are a continuous necessity in an aviation industry of India’s scale, operational irregularities cannot be excused. “Our vision is to ensure top global standards for India’s aviation sector,” he said.

IndiGo has faced sustained criticism from passengers, policymakers, and industry observers through the past week. In response to the chaos, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) issued a show-cause notice to the airline, seeking an explanation for the operational failure. The DGCA later granted IndiGo an additional 24 hours to submit its response.

Even as the airline signalled that its operations were stabilising, more than 400 fresh cancellations were recorded on Monday morning. This continued volatility has raised fresh concerns about the airline’s ability to recover quickly and restore normal schedules.

Naidu, who has publicly criticised IndiGo’s “mismanagement” earlier as well, reiterated that the crisis could not be blamed on the FDTL reforms, arguing that other airlines managed to comply with the new roster norms without serious disruptions. However, to prevent further chaos and ensure partial normalisation of services, the government temporarily relaxed certain duty-time regulations specifically for IndiGo.

With the inquiry underway and widespread dissatisfaction among passengers still simmering, the government’s firm stance suggests that IndiGo will face heightened regulatory scrutiny in the coming weeks. At the same time, the call for greater competition indicates that structural reform in the aviation sector may become a broader policy conversation sparked by this crisis.