IndiGo crisis exposes Indian aviation

PM spoke of his ambitions for India's aviation sector at the global airlines conference in New Delhi this year, but that vision mostly depends on IndiGo and Air India's success

- REUTERS

A wave of flight cancellations by IndiGo, India's largest airline, sparked a week of chaos and grounded tens of thousands of passengers, laying bare the risks of having a duopoly-like situation in the world's fastest-growing aviation market.

For years, IndiGo with a 65% domestic market share has helped Indians realise their dreams of flying - an aspiration shared by Prime Minister Narendra Modi who once said those "in slippers should also be seen in aircraft”.

The airline became the poster child of the nation's aviation boom in recent years, with its promise of low fares and ontime performance.