The DGCA on Saturday had issued show cause notices to IndiGo’s CEO and COO seeking explanations within 24 hours on the massive flight disruptions.
Published: December 10, 2025 11:28 AM IST
IndiGo, India’s biggest airline, has been facing significant operational disruptions for the past week after the new crew rostering rule came into effect, allowing increased rest periods for pilots and other staff, resulting in hundreds of flight cancellations and delays. Mumbai International Airport Limited (MIAL), managed by Adani Airport Holdings Limited (AAHL) on Tuesday stated that a total of 40,789 passengers were affected due to the cancellation of 905 IndiGo flights between December 1 and December 8 at Mumbai airport, and another 2,66,567 travellers faced inordinate delays in the wake of massive disruptions in the airline’s operations, as reported by news agency PTI.
According to MIAL, the major affected sectors from Mumbai included Ahmedabad, Delhi, Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kolkata, Cochin, Goa, Lucknow on the domestic routes, while Amsterdam and Istanbul on the international side, with December 4th and 5th seeing the peak disruptions.
While the Indigo crisis continues, the airline may now be experiencing another investigation. This time, it is related to antitrust violations. According to a senior government official, as cited by Economic Times, an investigation may be forthcoming from India’s antitrust regulatory agency into IndiGo for potential violations of India’s antitrust regulations.
India’s antitrust agency could launch an investigation into IndiGo in order to determine whether the country’s biggest airline violated any of its antitrust rules, notably the rules preventing abuse of market dominance through restricting access to services or placing unreasonable conditions on passengers.
An official indicated to ET that the Competition Commission of India (CCI) has “strong basis” to open a formal investigation. However, he stressed that the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is leading the government’s comprehensive investigation of the IndiGo crisis. The official also added that the CCI will be keeping a close watch on this issue and will soon decide whether to initiate a probe into issues that fall under its jurisdiction.
IndiGo, an airline that controls almost 65% of the domestic airline industry, has already cancelled more than 5,000 flights this month. Thousands of travellers across India are currently stranded at airports as a result of IndiGo’s inability to execute their planned flights during a peak holiday time. They needed 2,422 captain pilots, but only have 2,357 currently available to them. The airline reported there are 65 fewer Captains than required, with only 2,357 available but needing 2,422 to meet the new requirements effective on November 1st, creating a significant impact on operations.
The DGCA on Saturday had issued show cause notices to IndiGo’s CEO and COO seeking explanations within 24 hours on the massive flight disruptions. The deadline was later extended to Monday, 6 pm, after the airline sought more time from the regulator. In an official notice to IndiGo, the DGCA said the airline had been approved for 15,014 departures per week, totalling 64,346 flights for November 2025 under the Winter Schedule. However, operational data show that IndiGo operated only 59,438 flights, with 951 cancellations recorded during the month.
To date, the CCI has not made an official statement regarding this situation. Section 4 of the Competition Act prohibits dominant companies from abusing their dominant position by using unfair or discriminatory practices when buying or selling goods or services, limiting and restricting the production or delivery of services, or creating unfair or discriminatory conditions for consumers, among others.
The Competition Act allows the competition regulator to open investigations on its own or as a result of complaints or information received by stakeholders or the public, or through a reference sent by the Central or State governments.
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