In IndiGo Crisis, DGCA Slept And CCI Didn’t Bark

Jan 15, 2026 | 09:42 IST

India’s competition watchdog is known for its hands-off approach & botched probes. Nobody’s surprised that it remained a mute spectator while the dominant airline showed signs of misusing its dominance


Amid all the flak aviation regulator DGCA has drawn for its handling of last month’s IndiGo crisis, the role of another regulator – Competition Commission of India – has gone relatively unnoticed.

CCI was set up to promote and sustain competition in markets, and is tasked with curbing anti-competitive practices across sectors. It is CCI’s job to hold dominant companies accountable when they choose to misuse that dominance in a way that is detrimental to consumers. To that end, it has been endowed with sweeping powers of enquiry and adjudication, including the power to suo motu investigate any activity it finds suspicious.
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