Tarun Shukla
India’s car market is shifting gears. Where do small cars stand?
India’s auto boom is back — but not for everyone. As SUVs surge and profits rise, entry-level cars are being left behind.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Can SpiceJet survive as financial stress hits its workforce?
Things are getting worse at India’s oldest private airline. As its operational capacity has reduced significantly, people are being furloughed, salaries are delayed by up to two months or more and outstanding dues including GST, TDS and PF are piling up.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Why Indian aviation’s bad year may not be over
In FY26, India saw nearly 290 people die in air crashes. The financial year also witnessed muted passenger traffic growth and an unprecedented operational meltdown at India’s largest airline. How will the next fiscal pan out even as the West Asia conflict lingers spiking fuel prices?
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
War is pushing Iran’s pilots out — and India is where many are turning
As war disrupts Iran, its airline pilots are heading out and some are now reaching Indian carriers. For airlines in India scrambling to hire over 1,500 pilots, this could be an unexpected answer
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Why online travel sites are facing turbulence thanks to Air India-IndiGo duopoly
New-age travel firms like Ixigo, Yatra and TBO have hit the markets at fancy valuations; MakeMyTrip remains the oldest listed player
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
How the balance of power between IndiGo and Air India shifted in 6 months
The IATA AGM in June 2025 in Delhi was all about IndiGo flexing its presence. Rival Air India appeared almost sidelined. But the narrative changed at the recent Wings India air show in Hyderabad. IndiGo looked defensive following the December meltdown, while Air India was peddling a resurgent self.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
How IndiGo faced a Rs 100 cr fine for cancellations but managed to dodge it
Aviation minister Ram Mohan Naidu had initially planned a far steeper fine for the December mess. But IndiGo was eventually fined INR22 crore and asked to furnish a bank guarantee of INR50 crore. Why was the fine diluted?
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Fly91’s struggles show why airline startups struggle in India
Many airline startups were announced in India over the last decade. But only three have taken off. Fly91 is one of them. While it has become difficult to separate credible airline operators from hopeful entrants, the former faces structural challenges that hinder expansion plans.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Cost fixation, leadership style: Why IndiGo chaos is not just about pilot hiring
Not one, but multiple factors — leadership centralisation, change in culture, and HR directives on costs, pilot promotion and contract — pushed India’s biggest airline into its worst-ever crisis
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
India’s newest airline is quietly prepping for IPO. Can it pull it off?
Akasa Air is not expected to turn Ebitda-positive in the near term. So, for Jhunjhunwala’s last big bet, which plans to list in a few years, there is still substantial work left before it achieves a strong valuation like IndiGo’s.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Why IndiGo thought it could dodge new pilot norms and how things fell apart
IndiGo, over the years, managed to pull off many regulatory forbearance thanks to the powerful `RK.’ This time round, when its execs were in Amsterdam, Spain, US and Swiss, the company’s operations unravelled in a level unprecedented in Indian history.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
Why the airport system crash at Delhi was waiting to happen
The glitch that delayed 800 flights late last week exposes the risk of running a legacy air traffic control system. While many countries have moved to advanced infrastructure, state-run AAI has been dragging its feet on implementation despite buying a new upgraded system around four years ago.
- Tarun Shukla
- ET Prime
How AI Express’s fortunes turned for the worse after Tata takeover
Of Air India’s ₹10,900 crore loss in FY25, Air India Express alone accounted for ₹5,800 crore. How did the budget carrier, once profitable under government ownership, become heavily loss-making after privatisation in 2022?
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Can Star Air’s Ghodawat succeed where Mallya and Wadia failed?
From a regional niche to national ambitions, Star Air — born from Kolhapur’s connectivity woes — is eyeing bigger skies with new jets, IPO plans and dreams of becoming India’s next big airline
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
With no revival in sight, will SpiceJet face the same fate as Jet Airways?
After the ₹3,000 crore fundraise last year, everyone was hopeful that SpiceJet would shrug off past troubles. But after a year, the needle hasn’t moved much
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
One month on, why is there still no word on what crashed AI 171?
Indian authorities remain silent on the cause even as a US-based aviation publication reports that investigators are now focusing on the aircraft’s engine fuel-control switches
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Just before the Air India crash, did India avert another deadly mishap?
In mid-May, DGCA chief Faiz Kidwai summoned SpiceJet’s top leadership after alarming safety lapses came to light by chance. Have the problems been fixed and will the June 12 crash reshape regulatory oversight of Indian aviation?
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
How India’s air accident watchdog is failing its biggest test yet
Nearly two weeks after the devastating Air India flight AI 171 crash, the Aircraft Accident Investigation Bureau has remained quiet. There have been no preliminary findings and no interim reports. In this silence, theories and speculation grow
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Why Trump’s geopolitics may turn out to be good for Indian aviation
Indian airlines have been urging Boeing and Airbus to expedite delayed deliveries as passenger traffic surges. However, an unexpected factor that could influence this ask now is US President Donald Trump and his changing geopolitics
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES
Why soaring airfares are unlikely to come down anytime soon
A combination of factors, including a Union Budget booster shot, air traffic growth, delayed aircraft deliveries and market duopoly makes things more complex than ever before
- Tarun Shukla
- THE ECONOMIC TIMES