NEW DELHI, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- India's federal civil aviation minister Rammohan Naidu Kinjarapu Tuesday delivered a stern message to the airlines operating in the country and said no airline, regardless of its size, will be allowed to create hardship for passengers.

Kinjarapu made the statement on the ongoing crisis at the country's largest airline IndiGo in the lower house of the Indian parliament that is currently in session.

IndiGo's countrywide operational crisis and wave of flight cancellations triggered chaos and panic across India from Dec. 2. Hundreds of passengers were stranded at airports and thousands of others were badly affected, with many still waiting for refunds and baggage.

"No airline, however large, will be permitted to cause such hardship to passengers through planning failures, non-compliance or non-adherence to statutory provisions. Safety in civil aviation is completely non-negotiable," Kinjarapu told parliament, adding that India is firmly committed to the highest global standards of safety.

The minister stated that the disruption caused by IndiGo's recent operational failures was rapidly stabilizing.

"IndiGo's daily flights, which had fallen drastically to 706 on the 5th of December, have recovered to 1,800 flights yesterday and are expected to rise further today," he said.

Meanwhile, IndiGo has decided to cut 400-500 flights to achieve "full stabilization of schedule" to ensure passengers can fly with certainty.

The airline will now operate 1,800-1,900 flights instead of the 2,300 flights it used to operate daily.

The operational crisis at IndiGo was caused due to a shortage of pilots and flight crew in view of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) rules that mandated longer rest periods for the staff. IndiGo has admitted to misjudging the number of pilots it needed under new FDTL rules.

As per the new pilot duty rules, the amount of mandatory rest per week for pilots has been increased by 12 hours to 48 hours. ■