New Delhi: In a series of television interviews following the air travel chaos caused by IndiGo’s flight cancellations, civil aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu squarely put the blame for the pandemonium on the airline and vowed strict action.
This was uncharacteristic of Naidu as he’s always been restrained in his public posture. But scenes of overflowing airports and distressed travellers at the peak of the wedding and holiday season playing out on TV and social media have put the first-time minister under an uncomfortable spotlight.
The disruption at IndiGo, which has over 65% share of India’s domestic market, grounded India’s air transport and is the latest challenge for Naidu, 37, who has faced one crisis after the other since his appointment as civil aviation minister last year. Days after he took charge, the roof of a terminal at Delhi airport collapsed.
Trial by fire
A person was killed and many injured.
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One of India’s biggest air tragedies came under his watch, when an Air India plane crashed in June, killing 260 people. This was followed by a breakdown of the air traffic control messaging system at Delhi airport in November, leading to the cancellation of over 300 flights.
The government response after the Air India crash had especially come in for criticism. The minister held only one press conference, at which he refused to take questions. This was followed by weeks of silence from the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau. With information being scarce, a wave of false information swarmed the internet.The outage of the air traffic control system and the current IndiGo crisis fell more directly under Naidu’s watch.
A new messaging system was supposed to have been operational in May 2025 but got delayed. Air traffic controllers had been warning about “performance degradation” in automation systems, citing lags and delays, particularly at high-traffic airports like Delhi and Mumbai, something that should have been fixed on an emergency basis.
In the current crisis, which is being blamed on IndiGo’s inability to hire enough pilots to meet requirements under new rest rules, aviation industry executives have raised questions over the role of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which reports directly to Naidu.
“DGCA is bound to check the capability of airlines like pilot strength to maintain schedule integrity before approving flights,” said an official. “Inspectors of the regulator have been auditing the preparedness of airlines if they are ready to implement the new rest rule for pilots.”
In fact, following the Air India crash, Naidu has been holding monthly meetings with airlines.
“That such a critical issue, of the largest airline not having adequate number of pilots and still going ahead to implement the new rule, evaded the minister’s attention is surprising,” a second executive said.
Perhaps he’s too much of a nice guy. People who work with Naidu describe him as a courteous and well-meaning minister, heavily dependent on his bureaucrats.
“Probably his amiability works against him. You need to present a more strongman image when dealing with an industry, which is run by large corporates,” a government official said.
Naidu also spends considerable time at his constituency, Srikakulam in Andhra Pradesh. Some suggest that this leaves him stretched when handling a consumer-facing industry that’s open to constant criticism on a daily basis.
While his colleagues at the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) have risen to his defence, the son of the late Yerran Naidu finds himself facing the wrath of bitterly frustrated passengers on social media.
Some TV anchors not known for being measured in their comments have also been scathing about the minister’s leadership.
Every crisis is an opportunity. Naidu’s ability to turn adversity into advantage will decide whether he can bring public opinion around to his side.
