Government seeks details of airfares charged by airlines in December:Passengers paid higher fares after IndiGo cancelled 4,500 flights

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked airlines, including Air India, IndiGo, SpiceJet and Akasa Air to submit full details of the average airfares charged in December. The move comes after IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights last month due to a shortage of pilots, causing major disruption and forcing passengers to pay much higher ticket prices. IndiGo, which controls around 63 per cent of India’s aviation market, cancelled nearly 4,500 flights in December. The airline operates about 2,300 flights daily, but a severe pilot shortage led to large-scale cancellations. The situation disrupted air travel nationwide, and passengers who had no option but to fly were charged very high fares by airlines. CCI probe: Was market dominance misused? The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched an investigation into IndiGo to examine whether it misused its dominant market position by charging unfairly high fares during the disruption. Under competition laws, companies are not allowed to exploit customers by using their large market share. Also Read | Train, flight operations to remain affected due to severe fog Stricter pilot duty rules behind cancellations The flight cancellations are mainly linked to the strict enforcement of DGCA’s Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules. Under the revised norms, pilots must be given longer weekly rest periods, and night flying hours have been reduced. IndiGo reportedly failed to adjust its crew schedules in line with these rules, leading to the last-minute grounding of flights. Aviation sector may lose ₹18,000 crore this year Ratings agency ICRA has issued a worrying outlook for India’s aviation sector. It estimates that domestic airlines could face net losses of ₹17,000 to ₹18,000 crore in FY26. Earlier, losses were expected to be around ₹10,500 crore, but the figure has risen due to lower passenger demand and operational difficulties. What’s next: Government considers fare cap The IndiGo crisis has revived the debate on capping airfares. The DGCA is currently reviewing fare data submitted by airlines. If authorities find that airlines took advantage of the situation to overcharge passengers, the government may issue strict instructions. Meanwhile, IndiGo has said it is speeding up pilot hiring and training to ensure such disruptions do not happen again in the coming months. Also Read | Four IndiGo flights cancelled again from Indore