How Jet Airways’ loss fuelled rivals’ gain

The March 2019 quarter will likely figure among the most momentous ones in Indian aviation. It saw the unravelling of India’s first private airline Jet Airways’ fortunes and the eventual suspension of the airline’s operations in April due to a funding squeeze.

This had, and continues to have, profound implications for the Indian aviation sector.

In the near term, Jet’s loss has been a gain for other airlines — especially the two listed players, IndiGo and SpiceJet. The Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation (CAPA) feels Vistara may be the greatest beneficiary of Jet’s exit and says that if Vistara can manage the costs and complexities of everything that it has on its plate, “this is a unique opportunity” for it to emerge as a leading full-service airline.