The Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the Centre over how the recent IndiGo flight disruption escalated into what it described as a full-blown “crisis”, leaving thousands of passengers stranded nationwide and triggering an overnight spike in airfares. A bench led by Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela observed that the chaos not only caused “trouble and harassment” to travellers but also affected the broader economy, which relies heavily on smooth and efficient air travel. The court has now directed the Centre to submit the committee’s inquiry report in a sealed cover by January 22.
Court Questions Fare Surge
During the hearing, which lasted over 90 minutes, the bench sharply criticised airlines for steep fare hikes in the midst of the disruption. Referring to reports that tickets priced at around Rs 5,000 suddenly jumped to between Rs 30,000 and Rs 35,000, the judges questioned how competing airlines were allowed to take advantage of the situation.
“How can it go up to Rs 35,000 and Rs 39,000? How could other airlines start charging?” the court asked, according to PTI. While acknowledging the remedial steps taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA, the bench questioned how matters were permitted to deteriorate to such an extent that “lakhs of passengers” were stranded across the country.
The judges noted that, as a committee is currently probing the episode, they would refrain from commenting on the precise cause of the disruption. However, they emphasised that the court’s observations were intended to protect public interest and ensure accountability from both the government and IndiGo.
Centre Says Fare Surge Was ‘Controlled & Capped’
The government’s counsel informed the court that the chaos arose primarily from multiple violations of flying-duty guidelines, particularly those governing crew duty hours. They added that authorities had “controlled and capped” the sudden fare surge, reportedly a first in such circumstances.
Representatives of the Centre and the DGCA stressed that regulatory mechanisms were already in place and confirmed that IndiGo had been issued a show-cause notice and had “apologised profusely”.
The High Court has instructed authorities to restore normal operations swiftly and ensure all airlines maintain adequate pilot and crew strength to prevent a repeat of such a crisis.
