Market dominance, weak oversight

INDIGO CRISIS

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The December collapse of IndiGo's flight network was not an accidental systems failure. It was the logical outcome of months of deliberate under-preparation by a monopoly airline fully aware of what was coming. With complete knowledge of the DGCA's new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules and a long, generous runway to comply-IndiGo chose not to build the pilot capacity essential to operating under the revised safety norms.

The result was predictable: a self-inflicted crisis that disrupted half a million travellers, paralysed airports across the country, and exposed the soft underbelly of India's regulatory ecosystem, which looked on even as the country's largest airline flew into turbulence of its own making.

The economic damage was significant. Delhi alone, according to the Chamber of Trade and Industry (CTI), suffered nearly Rs 1,000 crore in losses across business events, tourism, hospitality, and exhibitions as passenger movement collapsed. For IndiGo, independent estimates peg the financial impact at roughly Rs 1,800 crore, driven by mass refunds, waived fees, and the evaporation of peak-season revenue. Between December 1 and 8, IndiGo cancelled 905 flights and many more thereafter-crippling mobility during a period when demand is normally at its highest. But summarily IndiGo gains Rs 1400 crore and passengers lose Rs 25 billion.