India's lack of widebody aircraft a 'scandal', says incoming IndiGo chief

India's lack of widebody aircraft a 'scandal', says incoming IndiGo chief2 hours agoShareSaveAdd as preferred on GoogleSteve Lai and Soutik BiswasBloomberg via Getty ImagesWillie Walsh is the current director general of the International Air Transport AssociationIndia's aviation market is poised for significant expansion but remains constrained by a limited number of widebody aircraft, Willie Walsh, the incoming chief executive of IndiGo, told the BBC.Walsh described the country's fleet of 50 widebody aircraft as a "scandal" given its size and growth potential.A widebody aircraft is a larger, twin-aisle plane designed to carry more passengers over longer distances, making it essential for non-stop international and long-haul routes.Walsh will join IndiGo, India's largest airline, in August after the end of his term as the director general of the International Air Transport Association. AFP via Getty ImagesIn December, IndiGo cancelled about 4,500 flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airportsHe succeeds Pieter Elbers who resigned as IndiGo's CEO on 10 March, citing personal reasons.But it was widely seen as being linked to a recent crisis that forced the airline to cancel thousands of flights, the largest disruption in its 20-year history.In December, the carrier cancelled about 4,500 flights, leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across India.The disruption followed the introduction of new pilot duty and rest regulations in India designed to reduce fatigue among flight crews. The airline later acknowledged it had misjudged how many pilots it would need once the rules came into force.In an interview with the BBC, Walsh declined to comment directly on the airline but offered a broad assessment of India's aviation landscape and the challenges it faces."I'm not going to really comment on it because I haven't started there until August," he said, referring to IndiGo. &quo...