Business Desk – After more than 2,000 flight cancellations in just one week, IndiGo is facing serious questions about poor planning and mismanagement. The main reason for the chaos was a shortage of pilots, triggered by IndiGo’s failure to prepare for new rules called Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which restrict how many hours pilots can work.
As cancellations piled up across the country, passengers were stranded, airports were overcrowded, and frustration grew.
Rahul Gandhi Blames ‘Monopoly-like’ System
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi reacted to the crisis, saying India’s aviation system is becoming controlled by only a few big players.
He said he opposes “monopolies and oligopolies,” warning that too much power in the hands of a few companies can lead to exactly this kind of breakdown.
IndiGo’s Dominance: Why One Airline’s Problem Becomes the Whole Country’s Problem
IndiGo is India’s biggest airline by a huge margin. Its market share tells the story:
IndiGo controls 64.2% of India’s domestic air travel.
Air India has just 27.3%.
This means nearly two out of every three passengers in India fly with IndiGo.
So when IndiGo faces disruptions, the entire system feels the shock.
The numbers show its scale:
IndiGo fleet: ~400 aircraft
Air India fleet: ~191 aircraft
IndiGo flights last year: Over 6.8 lakh
Air India flights: Under 1.5 lakh
IndiGo passengers: 10 crore
Air India passengers: Just over 2 crore
No other major country has one airline dominating its home market this heavily.
How India Compares Globally
A review of aviation data shows:
Australia: Qantas + Virgin Australia control 72% of the market
Canada: Air Canada + WestJet together dominate
Middle East: Emirates and Etihad lead
USA: Market is spread across four big airlines (American, Southwest, Delta, United)
But India is drifting toward a duopoly IndiGo and Air India together hold 92% of the domestic market.
Even China, with a much bigger population, has three large state-owned carriers, preventing dominance by a single airline.
IndiGo’s Attempt to Recover
After days of cancellations and delays, IndiGo said it plans to operate:
1,802 flights to 137 destinations on Monday
500 flights will still remain cancelled
The Civil Aviation Ministry added:
4,500 stranded bags have been returned
The remaining 4,500 bags will be delivered in the next 36 hours
