THE BIG IDEA | PAGE 22 BRANDWAGON | PAGE 9 ElasticRun:Asimple insight into a national platform INTERNATIONAL | PAGE 17 Influencerindustrymay never be the same KOLKATA, MONDAY, DECEMBER 8, 2025 China fighter jet aims radar at Japan planes FOLLOW US ON TWITTER & FACEBOOK. APP AVAILABLE ON APP STORE & PLAYSTORE WWW.FINANCIALEXPRESS.COM READ TO LEAD VOL 35 NO. 32, 26 PAGES, `12 (NORTH EAST STATES `12 & ANDAMAN `20) P U B L I S H E D F R O M : A H M E D A B A D , B E N G A L U R U , C H A N D I G A R H , C H E N N A I , H Y D E R A B A D , K O C H I , K O L K ATA , L U C K N O W, M U M B A I , N E W D E L H I , P U N E IN THE NEWS BACK PAGE PAGE 22 25 KILLED IN BLAZE AT GOA NIGHTCLUB A PACKED NIGHTCLUB in North Goa turned into a death trap after midnight as a massive fire tore through it, claiming 25 lives and leaving six injured. A detailed probe has been ordered and four persons have been arrested. EU trade team to meet Goyal today on FTA ATEAM OF European Union trade negotiators will meet Commerce and Industry Minister Piyush Goyal on Monday to review the progress on the FTA, reports Mukesh Jagota. ■ PAGE 2 Adani bets big on thermal as power demand surges ADANI POWER IS looking to add nearly 24 GW of thermal capacity by FY32 — 30% of what the country is looking to add by then, reports Raghavendra Kamath. The company said it had earmarked `2 lakh crore for capacity ■ PAGE 4 expansion. ABOUT75%OFNETWORKRESTORED Back to normal by Wed, says IndiGo ● `610-cr refunds processed: Govt NITIN KUMAR New Delhi, December 7 INDIGO ON SUNDAY moved closer to restoring its regular schedule after six days of nationwide flight disruptions, saying it expected to operate more than 1,650 flights and reconnect 137 of its 138 destinations. The airline, which usually runs over 2,300 daily flights, has now brought about 75% of its network back, IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers said in a statement on Sunday. This,he said,is a significant improvement over nearly 30% recorded a day earlier. The airline also advanced its expected stabilisation timeline, projecting that its network should settle by December 10,earlier than the December 10-15 window indicated previously. Continued on Page 17 »INSIDE« EDIT: ARROGANCE AT 35,000 FEET P8 THE PERILS OF THE INDIGO MODEL, WRITES RISHI RAJ P8 EXPLAINER: THE PILOT FATIGUE NORMS THAT LEFT INDIGO GASPING P6 Passengers stand at an IndiGo ticket counter as the airline’s flight disruptions continue, in New Delhi on Sunday Facelifts to beat newcars in 2026 AKBAR MERCHANT Mumbai, December 7 PASSENGER VEHICLE MANUFACTURERS may have seen a revivalindemandinthesecond half of 2025 following the GST ratecuts,butthisisnotexpected to translate into a flurry of brand-newlaunches in 2026. Instead, most companies are preparing ayearcentred on facelifts, mid-cycle updates and feature enhancements aimed at keeping existing models relevant. The emphasis is on incremental improvements rather than introducing completely new products,reflecting both market realities and regulatory caution. The strongest activity will continue to be concentrated in the compact and midsize SUV categories,especiallyinthe`1020 lakh price band, where REFRESHED LOOK All-new launches in 2026 EARLY 2026 Cars getting a makeover EARLY 2026 ■ Mahindra XUV700 ■ Mahindra Scorpio ■ Tata Punch ■ Maruti Brezza MID ■ Skoda 2026 Slavia ■ Vinfast Limo Green ■ Hyundai Verna ■ Hyundai Exter ■ Skoda Kushaq ■ VWTaigun demand from both first-time buyers and upgraders remains steady.Electricvehicleswillhave a higher profile, though adoptionwill stillvarydepending on segment and affordability. Much of the industry’s measured planning stems from the expected CAFE 3 norms due in April 2027, which are likely to influence decisions around new platforms and powertrains. Until there is more clarity, manufacturers are favouring design updates, added connectivity,safety upgrades and better equipment over large engineering changes. Among mass-market LATE 2026 ■ Kia New Seltos ■ Renault Duster ■ BMW i5 LWB ■ Mercedes CLA EV ■ Kia Sorento ■ Hyundai Bayon ■ Honda ZR-V brands,Tata Motors is likely to begin the year with the Punch facelift, followed by the longawaited Sierra EV before the end of the first quarter.Several smaller updates across its wider portfolio are also expected through the year. Continued on Page 11 ANI 6pilotsreportedhealth Indianflagsfor300foreignshipsby’30 issueswhileonduty FLEET EXPANSION YARUQHULLAH KHAN & AKBAR MERCHANT New Delhi/Mumbai, December 7 AMIDTHEONGOINGflightdisruptions at IndiGo,the airline is facinganotherseriousissuewith multiple pilots reporting health problems linked to extreme fatigueinthelastweek,multiple airlineexecutivestoldFE. In the last week, six pilots have experienced health problems while on duty for IndiGo. Notably, one pilot had a panic attack,whichdelayedaflightfor twohoursatKathmandu'sTrib- huvan International Airport on December5. On December 5, an IndiGo first officer became severely unwell while taxiing flight 6E 1916 at Tribhuvan International Airport in Kathmandu, multiplesources said. "The pilot experienced hand tremors, rapid heartbeat, and elevatedbloodpressureduringa panicattack.TheflighttoMumbai was delayed by two hours as the airline arranged a replacement pilot to continue the service,"oneofthesourcessaid. Continued on Page 17 YARUQHULLAH KHAN New Delhi, December 7 THE GOVERNMENT EXPECTS around300foreignowned ships to be re-registered under the Indian flag by 2030, to expand the domestic fleet and lower logistics costs, official sources told FE. “The process to re-flag around 50 vessels has started andisexpectedtobecompleted in the next 3 months,” officials said.Theyadded that nearly11 global shipping majors have conveyed their intent to shift part of theirfleets to the Indian registry,indicatingrisingconfidence in the country’s mar- ■ The process to re-flag around 50 vessels to has started and is expected be completed within 3 months ■ Re-flagging brings ships under Indian law, enabling domestic cargo movement ■ Expanded fleet expected to save forex, reduce dependence on foreign carriers ■ Eleven global carriers show interest in joining the Indian registry itime framework and regulatorypredictability. Officials explained that reflagging,which means changing the nationality of a vessel so that it falls under Indian maritime law, will allow the shipstobeaddedtoIndia’sregistryand enable them to transportdomesticcargo.According to them, the move is expected tohelpboostexportsandmake logistics more affordable,particularlyfor smaller exporters, over the next three years.“As a result,greater resilience in the supplychain is ensured during disruptions, and freight revenues are kept within the country,”officials said. Accordingtothem,expanding the Indian-flag fleet could alsogeneratesavingsinforeign exchange, reduce reliance on foreign-flag carriers that often influence freight rates, and helprationalisecostsforIndia’s EXIM trade. Continued on Page 17 Kolkata