India’s civil aviation sector has been pushed into a full-blown crisis, and at the centre of it is Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu – now widely mocked as “Reels Ram Mohan”. Under his watch, the situation has reached a point where ordinary people are afraid to even board a flight. The Telugu Desam Party (TDP) has not just embarrassed Andhra Pradesh – it has shamed India’s image globally. TDP MP and Union Minister Ram Mohan Naidu has, through sheer incompetence, dragged the country’s reputation through the mud. Learning drama from Chandrababu and incompetence from Lokesh, he has failed spectacularly in his core duty: keeping India’s skies safe, functional and affordable. Because of IndiGo’s collapse, lakhs of passengers have been put through a living hell – and the “credit” for this suffering lies squarely at Ram Mohan Naidu’s doorstep.
New Rules, No Planning – Manufactured Chaos
In any sector, when new rules are brought in, the government is expected to:
- Study the consequences,
- Plan alternatives, and
- Protect citizens from disruption.
None of that happened here. Under Ram Mohan Naidu’s ministry, the DGCA rushed through new flight duty and rest rules for pilots without meaningful preparedness.
Out of 22 new regulations:
- 15 came into force in July this year,
- The remaining 7, relating directly to pilot rest and duty, took effect on 1 November 2025.
Key changes included:
- Increasing pilot rest time to 48 hours,
- Limiting night landings to no more than two per pilot.
For an airline like IndiGo, which operates over 60,000 flights a month and accounts for about 65% of India’s services, the impact was massive.
The result?
- In just two days IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights.
- Overall, nearly 2,000 services were cancelled in a short span.
And where was the minister in all this?
A Minister missing in action
When DGCA issued these rules – knowing full well that IndiGo dominates Indian skies – it was the minister’s responsibility to:
- Review whether the rules were being implemented properly,
- Check if IndiGo had hired enough pilots and reworked rosters,
- Ask tough questions when preparedness was clearly lacking,
- Ensure the airline built capacity to comply,
- Put in place backup plans to protect passengers.
None of this was done. Instead, the entire system collapsed within two days, and Ram Mohan Naidu sat on the sidelines. Passengers now ask bitterly: “If he cannot even review, identify and resolve such a basic issue, why is he minister at all?”
Had he acted with sincerity and foresight, flight schedules would have been rationalised in advance. Passengers would have known what services were available and planned alternatives calmly. Instead, they were ambushed by chaos.
India’s skies turned into a nightmare
Under Ram Mohan Naidu’s tenure, civil aviation has become synonymous with stress and fear:
- In Ahmedabad, a horrific accident claimed around 279 lives.
- Several other dangerous incidents have narrowly been averted.
- Airfares in many sectors have shot up by 300% or more.
- Security clearance at major airports now often takes more than two hours.
People now describe flying in India as: “Not a journey, but a nightmare.” Citizens on social media are asking bluntly: “Do we really need such an incompetent minister in charge of our skies?”
Reels at Bhogapuram, Neglect everywhere else
Whenever Ram Mohan Naidu visits Visakhapatnam, he rushes to Bhogapuram, shoots flashy reels, and returns — as if the airport is his personal backdrop for social media content. The reality he hides: Land acquisition for Bhogapuram, Key clearances, and Momentum in construction…all happened under YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s tenure as Chief Minister. The project is being built by private players, not by Ram Mohan Naidu. Now he simply appears on site, does a few reels, and tries to steal credit for work done earlier. People are not fooled. If he truly cared about airports, people ask:
- Why is he not inspecting the long-delayed works at Vijayawada airport?
- That airport is being built by the Airports Authority of India, which comes under his own ministry.
- Why has it been dragging on for months?
The pattern is clear:
- Work that needs attention is ignored.
- Projects where credit can be stolen become photo-op spots.
Meanwhile, delays, cancellations and safety concerns have risen sharply. Ram Mohan Naidu has:
- Not conducted serious periodic reviews,
- Allowed DGCA enforcement to weaken,
- Failed to push thorough fleet and safety audits,
- Allowed refunds to be delayed and support systems to collapse,
- Watched silently as fares increased by 300–400%,
- Let the UDAN scheme stall.
No wonder many are saying it is his failure that has dragged the sector to this miserable state.
Passengers trapped, Airlines looting
Because of DGCA’s mishandled implementation of new rules, IndiGo cancelled over 1,200 flights in two days. The crisis has:
- Stranded domestic and international passengers in airports for hours and days,
- Ruined plans of pilgrims travelling to Sabarimala,
- Hit tourists and medical emergency travellers hardest.
Passengers are left in complete uncertainty:
- Is my flight even operating?
- If it exists, will it actually depart?
- If it’s cancelled, will I get my money back?
Frustration has turned into fury. While IndiGo’s operations have crashed, other airlines have seized the opportunity to hike fares mercilessly. The ministry that created this artificial crisis with its poorly planned rules is today not even able to stop the ticket price loot.
A Ministry in Free Fall
With outrage spilling across social media and airports packed with angry crowds, the Civil Aviation Ministry has now gone into damage-control mode. To “solve” the problem, DGCA has:
- Relaxed FDTL rules specifically for IndiGo’s A320 fleet,
- Ordered pilots who were on extended rest under the new norms to return to duty immediately.
Even with these rollbacks, officials themselves admit it may take three to four weeks to fully stabilise operations. At the same time, DGCA has set up yet another committee to “find out the truth” behind the crisis, a classic bureaucratic move after the damage is already done.
Is Ram Mohan just Lokesh’s Remote-Control?
Even in the middle of this crisis, the TDP’s instinct was to turn it into a publicity exercise for Nara Lokesh.In a national debate on Republic TV, hosted by Arnab Goswami, TDP leader Deepak Reddy proudly claimed that Nara Lokesh is reviewing the flight cancellation issue. Arnab immediately and sharply questioned him:
- What connection does Lokesh have with Civil Aviation?
- Why is Lokesh interfering in a ministry that is under Ram Mohan Naidu?
- Are these backseat interventions by Lokesh one of the reasons for the spectacular failures in the Aviation Ministry?
- What qualifications does Lokesh have to “monitor” such a critical national sector?
On live TV, in front of the whole country, the TDP’s script collapsed — Lokesh’s publicity bubble burst, and Ram Mohan Naidu’s helplessness was exposed.
Three Naidus – One Model of Failure
From Andhra Pradesh to India’s skies, the pattern is the same:
- Chandrababu Naidu runs a model of reckless privatisation, monopoly control and credit theft.
- Nara Lokesh adds incompetence and remote-control politics.
- Ram Mohan Naidu executes that same model at the national level in civil aviation.
The result?
- Air passengers are suffering.
- India’s image is damaged.
- The sector has been pushed into avoidable, manufactured crisis.
The question now confronting the country is simple and sharp: Can India afford a “Reels Minister” when its aviation sector is on the brink?
