Crisis-hit IndiGo has appointed an external aviation expert to help them identify the root cause and assess the disruption that led to the cancellation of thousands of flights. The airline is under the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) and Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) scanner for the massive flight cancellations that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country.

The company stated that the board has approved the appointment of Chief Aviation Advisors LLC, led by Captain John Illson, a veteran aviation expert, to conduct an independent expert review and evaluation.

Captain Illson has over four decades of aviation experience at the FAA, ICAO, IATA and major global carriers, with expertise in global aviation strategy, custom consulting, safety leadership, international standard setting and new aircraft technologies.

The decision to appoint the expert comes after the recommendation of the Crisis Management Group (CMG) constituted by the IndiGo board. “With the Board’s approval in place, the review will commence at the earliest and the independent expert reviewer will submit a full report to the Board upon completion,” an IndiGo spokesperson said.

Meanwhile, the Competition Commission of India (CCI) is looking into whether IndiGo violated competition rules. According to an official, various aspects such as overall dominance, dominance on particular routes and whether there is abuse of dominance will be examined by the fair trade watchdog.

Although there have been no formal complaints against IndiGo, CCI has taken up the matter suo motu.

Section 4 of the Competition Act deals with abuse of dominance, which can be exploitative or exclusive. Exploitative abuse includes actions such as excessive pricing, while exclusionary abuse involves denying market access. The CCI first conducts a detailed examination of the available information to determine whether there is prima facie evidence of a violation of the competition rules. If such evidence is found, the regulator orders a formal investigation into the matter. Being dominant in the market is not in itself anti-competitive. However, abusing this domain is a violation of competition laws.