Fair trade regulator CCI on Thursday said it has decided to look into the recent mass flight cancellations by IndiGo across various routes under the Competition rules.

“Based on the initial assessment, the Commission has decided to proceed further in the matter in accordance with the provisions of the Competition Act, 2002,” CCI added.

IndiGo, which has a domestic market share of over 65 per cent, cancelled hundreds of flights starting from December 2, causing hardships to thousands of passengers.

While aviation safety regulator DGCA is probing the flight disruptions apart from stepping up the scrutiny of IndiGo’s operations, there are concerns in certain quarters on whether the airline’s dominant position could also have been a contributing factor.

A senior official, last week, told PTI that the CCI was internally examining whether IndiGo violated competition norms. Aviation experts have lauded the commission’s decision as some attributed it to public pressure waking up the dormant regulator.

The competition act empowers the commission to protect the interests of consumers by preventing practices that have an adverse effect on competition.

Oppositions leaders, including Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, have raised questions about the dominant presence of IndiGo in the aviation sector and has demanded fair competition.

Concerns about IndiGo’s monopoly were also raised in Parliament last week as the opposition leaders sought answers from the government on the large-scale flight disruptions.