Chandrababu Naidu On IndiGo Crisis: Poor Crew Planning, Not Govt Policy, Caused Flight Chaos

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu has issued his first response on the nationwide IndiGo flight crisis, clarifying that the massive cancellations were caused by the airline’s poor crew roster management—not government policy. Defending Civil Aviation Minister K Rammohan Naidu, a member of his TDP political party, Naidu said IndiGo failed to follow Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms on pilot duty hours and rest periods, resulting in over 1,100 cancellations across two days. He added that as a low-cost carrier, IndiGo had not hired adequate staff, and the implementation of FDTL rules exposed the shortage. The Centre has now relaxed certain norms and directed the airline to refund affected passengers. Slamming political critics, Naidu said some are sensationalising the crisis to distract from their own failures.