‘Shameful, Shocking How IndiGo Took Air Travel To Ransom And Govt Could Do Nothing’
Rishi Pratap Shahi, a frequent flier, says it is surprising as how a private airlines enjoys 65% share in the domestic aviation market with zero accountability. His views:
In one of the biggest consumer-driven economy of the world, the basic rule of market is missing in India – allowing a private player to sky rocket its share in the market to such an extent that it is now the king and has an undeclared monopoly. How come this happened or even allowed in such a fast emerging economy? It definitely raises questions – that was the market offered to Indigo on the instance of someone?
The entire episode, which is still ongoing and does not appears to end soon, gave one of the most glaring lesson to us, the fliers – that it does not mean that if you have money or can afford to fly, you are above the other middle or upper middle class Indians who cannot afford to fly and commute via bus or trains.
You are also at the mercy of the service provider (Indigo) who can bring you down on your knees at will and make your life worse than those opting for trains or buses due to affordability. It is also not worth mentioning the problems that the commuters faced as it is everywhere on social media and channels where we have, in a way, become a laughing stock and an it was never in the wildest thoughts of anyone that even those flying in planes can faced the difficulties of the common and the `poor’ Indians.
The episode also opened up another market segment which I first hand witnessed on the Delhi airport: I saw some ‘riche rich’ groups shaking hands and pooling for charted planes to save time. Of course this niche market is only for the superrich but it will not be a surprise if yet another market segment opens up with lucrative offers to cater this clientele soon!
What further surprised me was the causal stance of the company through it statement and the carefree body language of its imported CEO Pieter Elbers who, besides apologizing, barely promised stabilization by mid-December, increasing call center capacity, and implementing refund/rebooking processes.
Being a native of Uttar Pradesh, my foremost suggestion is that he should have been called to the local police station (after a written complaint) by the Inspector-in-charge and should have been kept there sitting for two-three days without any interrogation or torture… under the best hospitality of our dear UP Police.
The basic question still remains unanswered: How does the Indigo dare to or gained so much strength to simply overlook the directives of DGCA and the airline’s failure to prepare for the full implementation of stricter Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms (new pilot rest and duty rules) that came into effect on November 1, 2025. What is more glaring is the DGCA back tracked, in a way bending to the black mailing tactics of the carrier.
It is high time that the government woke up and at least worked out something to end the monopoly of Indigo by making or simplifying norms for the entry of more players in the domestic market as things are bound to repeat if the market remains a one man show. Of course strict regulation, investigations (DGCA), enforcing safety, and preventing such large-scale hardships should be the priority besides focusing on employee well-being to prevent burnout, which impacts customer service, and ensure passenger safety/comfort.
As told to Rajat Rai
