Passengers in need of air after the flight of the airline in India

Jet is one of the few Indian carriers to have experienced major security issues this year. This spring, regulators forced IndiGo, a low-cost airline that became the largest and most profitable airline, and GoAir, another low-cost airline, to equip some of its Airbus A320neo with engine-related problems. by Pratt & Whitney. engine failures in flight at the airlines.

IndiGo also had to deal with a video showing employees shuffling an angry customer across the tarmac, an incident reminiscent of Chicago security agents who violently evicted Dr. David Dao from a United Airlines flight. ;last year. Like United, IndiGo has been slow to publicly apologize for his actions. IndiGo also fired the employee who filmed the video of the abuse while allowing others to keep their jobs.

But the biggest problems facing the Indian airline industry are financial problems. A sharp rise in oil prices over the past year, at about $ 80 a barrel, combined with an 11% drop in the value of the Indian rupee against the dollar, weighed twice on spending.

At the same time, carriers are adding planes to attract millions of new travelers, many of whom are trying to decide between a cheaper plane ticket or option, such as a bus or train. Last week, AirAsia India, a joint venture between a Malaysian airline and one of India's largest conglomerates, announced a sale with round-trip fares as low as Rs 500, or about $ 7.

Air India, the country's flagship company, is functionally bankrupt and remains alive only through periodic injections of public funds. An attempt to sell a majority stake in the airline a few months ago sparked no offer as potential buyers feared that the government would force Air India to withhold large resources and losses. Air India money. indebted. Now, the airline is struggling to pay its employees and maintain its planes while waiting for the next bailout.

Harsh Vardhan, president of Starair Consulting and former managing director of Vayudoot, a now-defunct regional airline, compared the current state of the Indian airline industry to an "endless marathon".

"They can not truncate operations. They can not raise prices because as soon as they reduce prices, they risk being excluded from the market, "he said. "If the situation continues for the next 12 to 18 months, the airlines could go bankrupt."