Merger and acquisition (M&A) strategy is pursued by many airlines across continents to come out of financial crises and gain a competitive advantage in an unfamiliar market. Despite following this tactic, several airlines have failed. Thus, establishing the need to identify the barriers that hinder the M&A process and prioritise them. The analytical hierarchical process (AHP) and fuzzy analytical hierarchical (FAHP) methods are, used to ascertain challenges associated with the Indian commercial airline industry. Thereby creating solid ground to develop strategies to counter the barriers effectively and efficiently. The findings reveal that Information system design and integration deficiencies rank first among a total of eight identified barriers. The study is a combination of a theoretical and real-world context, attempting to facilitate knowledge building by collaborating with industry experts. Hence, the airline’s management can take preventive steps before going ahead with the merger and acquisition policy. Since the study is conducted in the backdrop of a fuzzy environment, the overall robustness of the method is proven by executing sensitivity analysis.