The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched an inquiry into India’s largest airline IndiGo based on a complaint it received from an informant after the recent flight disruptions. CCI’s actions follow a major operational breakdown at IndiGo earlier this month that triggered large-scale cancellations.
“The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has taken cognizance of Information filed against IndiGo in the context of the recent flight disruptions witnessed in the aviation sector, across various routes. 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,” said CCI in a short statement.
As per general protocol, the commission first conducts a preliminary inquiry and then based on the initial findings, it directs the Director General office to start a full-blown formal investigation. As per sources, CCI was internally examining last week whether IndiGo violated competition norms.
It may be noted that Section 4 of the Competition Act prohibits abuse of a dominant position. While the Act does not prohibit dominance itself, exploiting such a position through unfair or predatory pricing can attract penalties.
IndiGo has a dominant market share of nearly 65% in the Indian aviation industry and according to experts, the CCI will be focusing on whether the airline leveraged this strength leading to the early December 2025 flight chaos which shook India’s aviation industry.
Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is already probing the flight disruptions apart from stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo's operations. DGCA had also slashed IndiGo's winter schedule, reducing the number of flights by 10%.
IndiGo cancelled more than 5,000 flights in the first half of December due to a severe crew shortage, especially pilots, following revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms introduced last month. This action stranded thousands of passengers at airports.
The government intervened and initiated an inquiry, with the aviation minister K. Rammohan Naidu stating that strict action will be taken against the operator to set an example for other airlines. His statement came in the backdrop of IndiGo being accused of arm-twisting, corporate blackmail and giving minimal resting hours to pilots and crew members.
The CCI’s statement on launching an investigation also comes on the day when InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the company operating IndiGo, informed stock exchanges that its operations have fully normalized. IndiGo Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers in a message to employees said, “The worst is behind us”.
“Having completely stabilized operations across the network starting 9 December 2025 with 1,800 plus flights, IndiGo has been gradually and carefully adding capacity and will be operating over 2,200 flights today, in line with the revised schedule,” the company said.