IndiGo must raise airfares; its monopoly threatens same fate on aviation as telecom: Spicejet

The onus of sustaining the profitability of airlines in India is on IndiGo, as it is up to the largest player to raise the fares to a sustainable level, Ajay Singh, Chairman and MD of budget carrier Spicejet, said on Wednesday. “Others will follow,” Ajay Singh said at a press meet. “We have an extremely strong player. A lot of the fares are then driven by that player,” Ajay Singh said. “If the leader starts to follow the 5% player, then the market will invert,” he added. Airfares must rise in line with high costs. “We need to increase fares; fares need to be rationalised. We operate in a high-cost environment,” he said explaining the need to increase fares.

Airlines in India have long rued the high cost operating environment and high fuel prices. Both IndiGo and Spicejet reported huge losses in the fiscal second quarter. Ajay Singh also expressed concerns that the “largest airline” will monopolise the aviation sector. Drawing parallels between the Indian aviation sector and telecom industry, he said that there are lessons to be learnt from what became of the telecom sector.