The Сommission cited concerns of unfair business practices and potential abuse of market dominance, as the cancellations were said to significantly impact passenger access to air travel at a time of heightened demand.
The Competition Commission of India (CCI) has launched an investigation against InterGlobe Aviation, the company behind IndiGo Airlines, for alleged abuse of dominant position.
The CCI was deciding a complaint filed by an informant who claimed to have suffered financial loss after his flight was among the mass flight cancellations by IndiGo on various routes in December 2025.
The commission observed that IndiGo had prima facie abused its dominant position by creating unfair and discriminatory conditions of service and by limiting services through mass cancellations.
The mass cancellations had effectively resulted in consumers being locked in and lacking viable alternatives for travel. The CCI also observed that, by cancelling thousands of flights constituting a significant portion of scheduled capacity, IndiGo created artificial scarcity, withheld its services from the market and limited consumer access.
IndiGo had contested the CCI’s jurisdiction over the aviation sector, arguing that the applicable statute, the Aircraft Rules, vests the authority in the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
Relying on its decision in CCI v Bharti Airtel Limited and Ors (2018), the CCI rejected IndiGo’s claims while noting that it has previously examined matters in the aviation sector involving allegations of cartelisation, abuse of dominant position and unfair pricing practices. The CCI also noted that the DGCA has clarified that it does not exercise economic regulatory powers over the aviation sector.
IndiGo had previously come under regulatory scrutiny of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in connection with the cancellations and was fined INR222 million (USD2.4 million).
Source: India Business Law Journal
