The court was hearing a PIL seeking a judicial inquiry into the disruptions and compensation for affected passengers. It asked the government to explain why regulatory intervention came only after several days of cancellations and how other airlines were allowed to profit from the crisis.
During the hearing, the bench questioned whether guidelines governing pilots’ duty hours and staff conduct had been properly enforced. Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma said the government imposed emergency fare caps, but the judges noted the decision came four to five days late.
Aviation regulator DGCA has summoned IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers for an explanation. Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu said the DGCA’s role would also be examined, adding that the events indicated “deliberate negligence” rather than routine operational failure. He said action—including leadership changes—would be taken if required.
Latest DGCA data revealed that IndiGo overstated its winter capacity. While the airline claimed 403 operational aircraft, only 339 were flying in October and 344 in November. Nearly 4,900 scheduled flights could not operate in November alone. The Centre has now ordered a 10% cut in IndiGo’s schedule, affecting about 230 of its 2,300 daily flights.
With more than 5,000 cancellations in eight days, the government has deployed senior officers at 10 major airports to assess the fallout. A Parliamentary panel will separately examine issues of pilot fatigue and FDTL compliance.
IndiGo told the regulator that the exact cause of the collapse remains unclear but said operations have stabilised, with 91% on-time performance restored. The airline said it has refunded ₹827 crore so far and expects to clear all pending refunds by December 15.
