1. Chaos Foretold: Holding IndiGo to Account on Air Safety and Passenger Rights
Syllabus
- GS-3: Infrastructure: Aviation; Liberalisation, industrial policy, and effects of changes on industrial growth.
- GS-2: Governance: Government policies and interventions for development in various sectors.
Context
The ongoing crisis involving mass flight cancellations and severe delays by IndiGo Airlines, India’s dominant carrier, was the subject of the December 8 editorial. The crisis, which led to the cancellation of over 250 flights on one day and subsequent intervention by the Civil Aviation Ministry, was not a sudden accident but a “chaos foretold”. The analysis pointed directly to the airline’s wilful misreading and lack of preparedness for the revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), exposing a culture that prioritizes profits over safety and passenger welfare.
Main Body in Multi-Dimensional Analysis
The Crisis of Regulatory Non-Compliance
- FDTL Norms and Staff Shortage: The DGCA had issued revised FDTL norms requiring increased mandatory rest periods and limits on flight duty hours for pilots and crew. This directive was issued with sufficient lead time. The crisis stems from IndiGo’s failure to hire, train, and roster an adequate number of pilots in anticipation of these changes. Instead of recruiting, the airline apparently tried to “juggle” the existing crew, leading to eventual scheduling collapse and crew fatigue.
- Exposing the LCC Model’s Flaw: The LCC (Low-Cost Carrier) model relies heavily on maximum aircraft utilisation and minimum staffing. The IndiGo meltdown exposed the fundamental flaw in this approach: a system built with zero slack has no resilience against regulatory change or unexpected operational issues. The company’s focus on market dominance (over $60\%$ share) led to operational overstretch.
- Failure of DGCA Oversight: While the DGCA’s revised FDTL norms are commendable for safety, the editorial questioned the regulator’s role in the run-up to the crisis. Why was IndiGo’s inadequate crew roster planning not flagged and penalised before the system collapsed? The regulator must be held accountable for its failure to perform proactive oversight and continuous monitoring of staff strength against operational demands.
Passenger Rights and Market Intervention
- Compounding Passenger Suffering: The editorial noted that regulations meant to protect passengers (like compensation rules) have become a catalyst for suffering. Passengers are forced to absorb the costs of last-minute cancellations, while the airline seeks to manage its operational deficit. The government’s intervention to cap airfares and mandate strict refund deadlines (as low as ₹7,500 for a 500 km trip in economy class) was necessary to prevent predatory pricing during the crisis.
- Need for Accountability: The DGCA cannot “buckle” under pressure. It must not only enforce immediate passenger compensation but also impose heavy, non-negotiable penalties on the airline’s senior management for systemic regulatory and operational failure. The crisis is not just a commercial matter but a serious issue of air safety.
Way Forward
- Mandatory Crew Ratio: The DGCA must institute a mandatory crew-to-aircraft ratio linked to the revised FDTL norms and conduct frequent, unannounced audits of crew rosters.
- Escalating Penalties: The passenger compensation framework (CAR rules) must be revised to include escalating, punitive fines for large-scale, systemic cancellations, making it fiscally painful for airlines to fail on this scale.
- Holistic Safety Audit: The focus should shift from a mere financial analysis to a holistic air safety and operational audit of the airline, ensuring its growth model is compatible with safety regulations.
2. Balancing, Not Swinging: The Art of Multi-Alignment in India’s Foreign Policy
Syllabus
- GS-2: International Relations: Effect of policies and politics of developed and developing countries on India’s interests.
Context
Following the Russia-India Summit, the editorial on December 8, 2025, discussed the concept of ‘Balancing, not Swinging’ in India’s foreign policy, particularly concerning the increasingly fraught relationship between Russia and the West. The analysis argued that for India, strategic autonomy is best achieved through ‘multi-alignment’—maintaining strong strategic and economic ties with all major global powers, rather than being forced into an exclusive geopolitical camp.
Main Body in Multi-Dimensional Analysis
The Imperative of National Interest
- Managing Contradictory Relationships: India’s ability to host President Putin while simultaneously strengthening its strategic partnership with the United States and participating in the Quad is a textbook case of multi-alignment. The core principle is that India’s policy decisions are dictated by its national interest—specifically, securing affordable energy, crucial military technology, and investment for its economic growth.
- Lessons from History: The editorial implicitly referenced the original Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) but suggested that today’s multi-alignment is a more proactive, transactional, and assertive version. It’s not about being equidistant; it’s about being equally engaged where national interests converge.
- Defence and Technology Transfer: The long-standing India-Russia relationship is built on reliable defence supplies and technology transfer—elements that the West has historically been hesitant to provide on similar terms. Maintaining this channel is non-negotiable for India’s immediate security needs.
Geopolitical Risks and the Path Ahead
- The Tariff-Sanction Nexus: The editorial noted the risk that India’s engagement with Russia could attract secondary sanctions or trade retribution from the West. For instance, the US tariffs on Indian goods have been partly linked to India’s policy on Russian oil imports. Navigating this tariff-sanction nexus without compromising economic stability is the most immediate challenge for New Delhi.
- The China Factor: India’s balancing act is complicated by its own security challenges on the northern border. A strong Russia-India relationship provides a strategic hedge against the potential for an exclusive Sino-Russian bloc, ensuring Russia maintains an open, dialogue-based relationship with New Delhi.
- Economic Diversification: While the relationship with Russia provides crucial stability in defence and energy, the economic future lies in closer integration with the global value chains dominated by the West. India’s pursuit of FTAs with the UK, EU, and Australia is a reflection of this pragmatic need for economic diversification and integration.
Way Forward
- Assertive Diplomacy: India must continue to assert the principle that its engagement with any country is not directed against a third party and that its foreign policy remains rooted in sovereign decision-making.
- Financial Innovation: Accelerate the development of indigenous payment systems and Rupee-Ruble payment mechanisms to entirely bypass the Western financial architecture for strategic trade with Russia.
- Clarity in Messaging: While India must maintain its strategic flexibility, its diplomatic communication needs to be consistently clear to global partners, ensuring the pursuit of multi-alignment is understood as a constructive, stable force in global order, not an opportunistic one.
