The nationwide disruption in air transport caused by Indigo’s pilot shortage has delayed ecommerce shipments across several categories, multiple industry executives told YourStory. The delays come at a critical time, with platforms running Black Friday and year-end sales.
“Most shipments today move through road or rail,” said a senior executive at a leading ecommerce logistics firm. “But several D2C and marketplace clients still rely on air transport. Everyone understands the situation, clients have made adjustments, and customers have been informed.”
The executive estimated that roughly 10% of all ecommerce orders in India are moved by air. Many logistics players have cargo agreements with Indigo and other airlines, while Blue Dart remains one of the country’s largest dedicated air carriers.
Non-flammable beauty and personal care products and personal electronics are the most prominent categories in air freight, according to executives in the logistics space.
The disruption has coincided with major sale events, particularly in lifestyle and luxury categories. Black Friday sales have grown in significance for premium brands in India. Tata Cliq, which began its sale in November, told customers that some orders were affected.
“Your shipment is on its way, but operational constraints affecting flight schedules have resulted in longer transit times on certain routes,” Tata Cliq wrote in an email to a shopper who ordered sneakers during the sale.
Delayed deliveries pose a challenge for ecommerce platforms at a time when quick commerce has raised consumer expectations around speed. The longer an order takes, the higher the likelihood of cancellations, which directly hurts profitability for both brands and marketplaces. Returns tend to be highest in categories like fashion.
An executive at one major marketplace said the platform has started offering coupons on delayed orders to reduce cancellations.
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Myntra’s “End of Reason Sale” also coincided with the transport disruption, but a person familiar with the matter said only a single-digit percentage of orders may have been delayed. Myntra has been pushing brands to store goods closer to customers to speed up delivery. Items that qualify are labelled “Myntra Express”, a model that comes with additional costs for sellers but improves conversion and reduces cancellations.
“Most air shipments happen between metro cities like Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru and Chennai,” said the marketplace executive quoted earlier. “High-value items such as sneakers and luxury goods priced above Rs 5,000 are typically shipped via air, since the economics support the higher transport cost.”
Myntra, Tata Cliq, and Delhivery did not respond to queries sent by YourStory.
