Indian aviation is in turmoil due to the IndiGo crisis.

In India, the aviation industry has been thrown into turmoil after a series of flights by IndiGo, the country's largest airline, were canceled over the past week, affecting tens of thousands of passengers.

With a 65% share of the domestic air travel market, the low-cost airline IndiGo has helped many Indians realize their dream of flying over the years. However, in just the past week, everything has been turned upside down: around 2,000 flights have been canceled, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded at airports with piles of luggage.

A female passenger stated, "We were informed by IndiGo that our flight had been cancelled. This caused a lot of trouble because all the alternative flights were very expensive. The Air India flight cost 60,000 rupees, which was beyond our budget."

The main reason IndiGo faced difficulties was its lack of preparation to meet the new, stricter restrictions imposed by Indian authorities on pilot flight time and nighttime flight operations. Although the situation has improved, IndiGo predicts that operations will only return to normal between December 10th and 15th.

Charanvir Singh Randhawa, President of the Indian Pilots Federation, shared: "The new regulations have put IndiGo in a pilot shortage. Previously, the airline had lower flight frequencies and thought it could operate with a limited number of pilots. As a result, the reserve pilot team they once had is no longer sufficient. Secondly, the scheduling and allocation of pilot work is not being done systematically and efficiently."

Following the wave of IndiGo flight cancellations, Indian authorities have set a price cap on airfares to stabilize the situation. One-way fares for journeys under 500 km must not exceed 7,500 rupees (approximately $83), while for journeys between 1,000 and 1,500 km, the price is capped at 15,000 rupees ($167). Several support measures for IndiGo have also been implemented.

Indian Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu stated: "The recent disruptions at IndiGo stemmed from shortcomings in crew arrangements. Therefore, to restore normal operations as quickly as possible, we have temporarily relaxed some flight time limits for IndiGo. However, recognizing that this issue only occurred at IndiGo, the government has established an investigation committee to determine the specific causes and responsibilities."

The current crisis is expected to cause a significant drop in IndiGo's revenue, with refunds reaching $68 million by Sunday. As a result, IndiGo's stock plummeted more than 7.5% in the first trading session of the week – its sharpest decline in over a year. For India's rapidly growing aviation market, the incident also raises concerns about sustainability, given the industry's heavy reliance on a few major airlines like IndiGo.

Source: https://vtv.vn/hang-khong-an-do-hon-loan-vi-cuoc-khung-hoang-indigo-100251208224807762.htm