IndiGo scrutiny: No decision yet on abuse of dominance probe, says CCI chief
Competition Commission of India (CCI) chairperson Ravneet Kaur said on Friday clarified that the probe was based on an initial assessment of information received by the regulator after flights cancellations. The regulator had decided to look into IndiGo’s operations following the recent flight disruptions that affected passengers across the country,
Speaking to PTI, Kaur said specific information related to the airline had been placed before the commission, prompting it to take the matter forward for closer examination.“We have information which has come to us, and based on that information, the matter was placed before the commission. The commission has taken a view that in the initial assessment, it looks like we can go into further detail,” she said.Clarifying the scope of the exercise, Kaur said the CCI was not examining the aviation sector as a whole, but was currently focused only on IndiGo. “No. We have started looking at the information, and this information is only with respect to IndiGo,” she said.Asked whether the matter could be examined under Section 4 of the Competition Act, which deals with abuse of dominant position, given IndiGo’s market share of around 65%, Kaur said no decision had been taken on that front. “No decision has been taken about that as yet,” she said.IndiGo had cancelled hundreds of flights beginning December 2, leading to widespread inconvenience for passengers and operational chaos at several airports. The disruptions also drew attention to broader concerns about the impact of large-scale cancellations on consumer interest and the aviation ecosystem.The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) is separately probing the flight disruptions. The aviation safety regulator had earlier summoned IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and COO Isidre Porqueras in connection with the matter.The issue also figured during discussions in the Winter session of Parliament, amid questions over passenger safeguards and airline accountability.
