More trouble for IndiGo as competition regulator takes cognisance of complaint against airline

In more trouble for IndiGo, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken cognisance of a complaint filed against the country’s largest private airline in connection with the recent flight cancellations that left lakhs of air passengers stranded across the country.

The competition regulator said its initial assessment has provided enough ground for it to proceed further in the matter in accordance with the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002.

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The regulator, however, did not reveal any further details of the complaint that it has taken note of.

“The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken cognisance of Information filed against IndiGo in the context of the recent flight disruptions witnessed in the aviation sector, across various routes,” the CCI said in a statement.

“Based on the initial assessment, the Commission has decided to proceed further in the matter in accordance with the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002,” it added.

The development comes in view of the large-scale disruption in IndiGo’s flight operations earlier this month. The budget airline had to cancel thousands of flights over several days due to crew shortage triggered by the enforcement of the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

IndiGo has over 60 per cent share in the country’s domestic aviation market, and the cancellation of its flights, in thousands, triggered nationwide chaos.

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The country had not witnessed such a disruption in recent times, and the crisis also caused a sharp jump in airfares on several routes.

The crisis brought IndiGo under intense scrutiny of the government as well as the aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation.

The DGCA also dismissed four flight inspectors who were tasked with monitoring the safety and operational standards of the private carrier.