• Source:JND
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Delhi High Court on Wednesday questioned the Centre over the ongoing IndiGo chaos, which has led to the cancellation of thousands of flights. The Bench sought to know why such a situation arose and what steps were taken to assist stranded passengers, while also pulling up authorities for failing to prevent airfares from soaring to Rs 35,000. The court asked the government to explain the arrangements made to manage travellers and ensure they were not harassed at airports, “Why did such a situation even precipitate? What steps were taken to assist passengers?”

“If there were a crisis, how could other airlines be allowed to take advantage? How can fares jump to Rs 35,000-39,000? How could other carriers start charging these amounts? How can this happen?” the Bench asked.

In response ASG Chetan Sharma told the court that statutory mechanisms are in place, a show-cause notice had been issued to the airline, and it had offered a profuse apology. He added that the FDTL scheme had been pending due to repeated extension requests by the airline, but the government has responded firmly, particularly to protect senior citizens and medically vulnerable passengers.

ALSO READ: IndiGo Crisis Sparks Rail Chaos: NER’s 8 Special Trains Full, ‘No Room’ To Delhi And Mumbai Until Dec 24

Meanwhile, the government on Tuesday ordered IndiGo to reduce its operations by 5 per cent, later increasing the cut to 10 per cent as disruptions continued. The crisis, which began on December 2 and intensified over the following days, has now stretched into its ninth day as of Wednesday.

IndiGo Flight Cancellation On Eight Day At Several Airports 

Disruptions entered their 9th straight day on Wednesday, with Bengaluru reporting the cancellation of 35 arriving and 26 departing IndiGo flights. At Ahmedabad airport, 10 departing IndiGo flights were also cancelled, leaving passengers stranded this morning, according to ANI.

Top Points Delhi High Court To Hear IndiGo Crisis Plea

1. A petition seeking government support and refunds for affected passengers was mentioned in the Delhi High Court, which has listed the matter for hearing on December 10 before Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela.

2. Civil aviation secretary Samir Kumar Sinha said the government has actively addressed passenger concerns, claiming 100% refunds for PNR cancellations are complete and that most stranded baggage will reach passengers within 24 hours.

3. The aviation ministry noted IndiGo’s inability to manage its winter and summer schedules and directed the airline to cut operations by 10% across sectors, with a revised schedule due by 5 PM on December 10.

4. Chief Justice of India Surya Kant remarked that lakhs of people remain stranded at airports but declined an urgent hearing on a related plea, noting the Centre has already taken steps to manage the crisis.

IndiGo Flights Cancelled So Far

More than 4,600 IndiGo flights have been cancelled over the past eight days:

Tuesday, Dec 2: Over 150 cancellations

Wednesday, Dec 3: Nearly 200 cancellations

Thursday, Dec 4: Over 300 cancellations

Friday, Dec 5: Around 1,600 cancellations

Saturday, Dec 6: Around 850 cancellations

Sunday, Dec 7: Around 650 cancellations

Monday, Dec 8: Over 500 cancellations

Tuesday, Dec 9: Over 400 cancellations

ALSO READ: Mumbai Airport: Over 3 Lakh Passengers Hit As IndiGo Cancels 905 Flights, Delays 1,475 More Since December 1

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers Says Airline Back on Its Feet

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said on Tuesday that the airline’s operations have stabilised after days of disruptions. He said most passengers have received refunds, stranded luggage is being delivered, and an internal probe is underway to identify the cause of the crisis. “IndiGo is back on its feet, and our operations are stable,” he said.

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