IndiGo Crisis Exposes India’s Too-Big-to-Fail Problem
IndiGo’s mass flight cancellations exposed how India’s aviation system depends heavily on one dominant airline
Many passengers recently faced long delays, cancellations and confusion as IndiGo flights were first “delayed”, then “rescheduled”, and finally “cancelled”. This issue was not just bad luck—it revealed a deeper problem in India’s aviation system and the larger economy.
After India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, fully implemented the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules on 1 November 2025, IndiGo’s scheduling system broke down. The rules were meant to reduce pilot fatigue, but thousands of flights were disrupted in early December. People missed important events and waited for hours at airports. The aviation ministry then cut IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10%, and actual cancellations were estimated to be around 400–500 flights per day.
IndiGo was directed to issue 100% refunds and announced ?827 crore already processed for affected passengers. But the bigger issue is that one airline controls nearly two-thirds of India’s domestic market, creating a “too big to fail?” situation.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) did not act earlier because being large is not illegal unless there is misuse of power. But now the CCI is examining if IndiGo’s dominance and mass cancellations affected consumers unfairly.
This problem is not limited to aviation. Across telecom, airports, ports, food delivery, quick commerce, UPI apps, cabs and e-commerce, just one or two private companies control most of the market. When one giant fails, the entire public suffers.
IndiGo’s crisis shows how India has allowed major sectors to depend heavily on a few private players—without enough backup, and without protection for ordinary citizens.
