The crisis is a collective failure at multiple levels: executive management, board, and the sector regulator
It highlights endemic weaknesses in India's corporate governance framework
New Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules were the most consequential operational shift for 2025
Astonishingly, they were absent from IndiGo’s Annual Reports and Risk Management assessments
This omission implies a critical failure: management did not anticipate operational challenges from the new rules
It raises fundamental questions about executive foresight and basic capabilities
The board, comprising global aviation and governance luminaries, failed in its fiduciary duty
It did not question management on FDTL preparedness before the crisis, despite its expertise
The DGCA’s response has been weak. Instead of enforcing sustainability, it granted a one-time exemption
This penalises compliant airlines and questions regulatory objectivity
Such all-round governance failures—management, board, and regulator—do not reflect well on India Inc
They undermine systemic trust and market integrity, demanding serious corrective reflection