IndiGo hires external expert to probe flight disruptions

IndiGo has hired an external aviation expert to conduct a root-cause analysis of recent flight disruptions, the airline’s board announced on Friday (December 12).

Aimed at root cause analysis

"Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, veteran aviation expert, to conduct an independent expert review and assessment of the recent operational disruption and the contributing factors," the airline said in a statement.

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The development comes days after the announcement of InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of IndiGo, set up a crisis management group in the wake of the significant operational disruptions that started on December 2.

IndiGo further stated that "the objective is to conduct an independent root cause analysis of the recent operational disruption, besides opportunities for improvement."

IndiGo facing Competition panel scrutiny

Meanwhile, IndiGo has also come under the scanner of the Competition Commission of India (CCI), which is internally examining whether it violated competition norms, reported PTI, quoting a senior official.

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The report further stated that various aspects, such as the overall dominant position, dominance in particular routes, and whether there is abuse of dominance, will be looked into.

There is no formal complaint against IndiGo so far, and the CCI is examining whether competition rules have been violated suo motu, the official added.

What the Competition Act says

Section 4 of the Competition Act pertains to abuse of dominance that can be exploitative or exclusionary. Exploitative refers to acts such as excessive pricing, while denial of market access will fall under the exclusionary segment.

As per the norms, CCI first carries out a detailed examination of available information to reach a conclusion on whether there is prima facie evidence of competition norms violations.

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Only when there is prima facie evidence of violations, then the regulator order a probe into the matter.

An entity being dominant is not anti-competitive, but if there is an abuse of the dominance, then it violates competition norms.

The backdrop

Lack of proper planning in implementing the new set of flight duty norms from November 1 is being attributed as a key factor for the operational disruptions at IndiGo, apart from other factors.

CCI works to prevent anti-competitive practices in the marketplace as well as to promote fair business practices.

(With agency inputs)