The Centre told the Delhi High Court it fined Indigo Airlines Rs 22 crore and ordered removal of a senior vice president after mass flight cancellations last December. Indigo furnish Rs 50 crore bank guarantee to DGCA, ensure compliance.
NEW DELHI: The Central government informed the Delhi High Court that it has imposed a penalty of Rs 22 crore on Indigo Airlines and has directed the airline to relieve its senior vice president from duty due to mass flight cancellations in December last year that left millions of passengers stranded.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma reported that Indigo has been ordered to provide a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to ensure compliance with directives and implement long term systemic changes. Sharma also mentioned that warnings have been issued to officials of the airline.
This statement was made before a Division Bench consisting of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition that seeks an investigation into the flight cancellations.
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The aviation regulator DGCA rolled out stricter crew‑duty and rest regulations under the Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms, with the final phase entering effect on 1 November 2025.
Under the revised norm, pilots’ weekly rest was increased from 36 to 48 hours, night duty hours were redefined (night period extended), and number of permitted night landings and night‑flight duty hours were significantly restricted.
By early December 2025, the impact became severe. On 4 December 2025, more than 550 flights of IndiGo were cancelled across India as the disruption deepened.
On 5 December 2025, the airline cancelled over 1,000 flights nationwide, marking the fourth consecutive day of widespread cancellations, many domestic departures from major airports including Delhi were grounded until midnight.
The PIL, filed by advocates Akhil Rana and Utkarsh Sharma, seeks a judicial inquiry into Indigo’s mass flight cancellations that occurred from December 3 to 5 last year. During this period, the airline canceled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 flights without notice, leading to significant chaos at airports and leaving millions stranded.
Indigo faced severe challenges due to a shortage of pilots and its failure to implement the new Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL). Following the crisis, the DGCA granted Indigo an exemption to manage the ongoing situation and ordered a reduction of at least 5 percent in scheduled flights.
The PIL has called for fair compensation for passengers whose flights were canceled and relief for those stranded at airports. It argues that widespread issues such as “arbitrary cancellations, unexplained delays, non-payment of mandatory refunds, overbooking, unfair trade practices, discriminatory conduct, DGCA non-compliance, and concerns surrounding aviation safety and airport monopoly distortions” threaten passenger rights and public welfare.
During the prior hearing on December 10, 2025, the High Court questioned the Union government about its failure to prevent the chaos resulting from Indigo’s cancellations and delays. The Bench stated that the inquiry report detailing the reasons for the disruptions must be submitted to the Court in a sealed cover, as was provided today.
The court also received a sealed report detailing the investigation into the disruptions. Furthermore, it was noted that affected passengers have received refunds, and efforts to compensate those impacted are underway.
After a brief hearing, the Bench requested the government to file an affidavit regarding these matters within two weeks.
The case is set to be reviewed again on February 25.
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