Today, On 10th December, The Delhi High Court questioned the Centre over the IndiGo flight cancellations and the sudden spike in airfares, asking, “How were airlines allowed to overcharge?” The court said the situation “is harassment to passengers” and demanded accountability today.
New Delhi: The Delhi High Court criticized the Centre on Wednesday regarding the IndiGo crisis that resulted in numerous flight cancellations and questioned its inaction in stopping airlines from raising fares to nearly Rs.40,000.
Justice Gedela asked,
“If there were a crisis, how could other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it go to 35,000 to 39,000? How could other airlines start charging? How can it happen?”
While acknowledging the Centre’s efforts to manage the situation, the court inquired why such a crisis had arisen in the first place.
Also Read: IndiGo Flight Fiasco 2025: 1,000+ Cancellations Leave Flyers Furious Across India
The court interrogated the Centre,
“We have said we appreciate your efforts. The question is why did such a situation precipitate? Who is responsible? It is not a question of individual passengers stranded at airports. The question is the loss to the economy. It is harassment and trouble to the passengers. What steps were taken to compensate the passengers? What action has been taken to ensure that the employees of service providers behave responsibly?”
The additional solicitor general outlined the measures taken by the Centre, but the Delhi High Court remarked,
“There all are taken by you once the crisis erupted. The question is not this. Why at all the situation arose? And what have you been doing?”
The court also raised concerns about the overworking of pilots and questioned what actions could be implemented to address this issue.
When IndiGo which operates one of the country’s busiest flight networks failed to strengthen its pilot roster or adjust scheduling buffers adequately, it led to acute crew shortages and disrupted roster planning.
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.
Additionally, 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.
Airports across Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai and other hubs experienced chaos with long queues, stranded passengers, unclaimed baggage, and widespread anger among travellers.
Faced with mounting backlash, on 5 December 2025, DGCA issued a one‑time exemption for IndiGo: it withdrew the rule that prevented airlines from counting crew leave as weekly rest, thereby restoring some roster flexibility.
Case Title: AKHIL RANA AND ANR V/s UNION OF INDIA AND ORS W.P.(C)-18718/2025
Click Here to Read More On IndiGo
FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE
