Union Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu met officials of three new airlines, preparing to beat IndiGo's monopoly?:

News Topical, Digital Desk : Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu Kinjarapu met with teams from three emerging airlines – Shankh Air, Al Hind Air and FlyExpress – on December 23, 2025. The move is aimed at fostering greater competition following IndiGo's massive flight cancellation crisis in early December.

The minister said on social media that Shankh Air has already received the No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the DGCA, while Al Hind Air (of Kerala-based Al Hind Group) and FlyExpress (a Hyderabad-based courier company) were issued the NOC this week.

Shankh Air will focus on connecting cities in Uttar Pradesh like Lucknow, Varanasi, Agra and Gorakhpur at affordable rates.

The government is encouraging new airlines in the world's fastest-growing aviation market; the UDAN scheme has strengthened regional connectivity for smaller airlines such as Star Air and Fly91.

In early December, IndiGo's failure to adapt to new crew-rostering rules led to widespread flight disruptions, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded at airports across the country.

At the heart of the crisis were rules requiring pilots and cabin crew to take more rest, including a 48-hour weekly break instead of the previous 36, and strict limits on night landings.

The airline has been accused of failing to comply with the new regulations. As a result, IndiGo faced a staff shortage, forcing it to ground more than half of its aircraft.

IndiGo has more than 60% of the operating market share in the Indian aviation industry. The Competition Commission of India ( CCI) is investigating the budget airline under antitrust rules. Tata Group-owned Air India has about 25% of the domestic market, followed by Akasa Air and SpiceJet.