NEW DELHI: The Delhi High Court on Wednesday sharply criticised the central government for its handling of the ongoing IndiGo crisis, questioning how airline fares spiked and why no timely intervention was made as operations deteriorated.
The bench asked officials to explain how ticket prices on several routes rose from about ₹4,000–5,000 to nearly ₹30,000 during the disruption and how competing airlines were able to capitalise on the situation. The court remarked that the authorities had “allowed matters to reach this stage”.
A division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela was hearing a PIL seeking a judicial probe into the crisis and compensation for travellers whose flights were cancelled or who were stranded at airports.
The judges observed that the impact of the crisis went beyond individual inconvenience and had resulted in widespread financial loss. They said it was the government’s responsibility to ensure such large-scale disruption does not recur.
Separately, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has summoned IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers, directing him to appear before the regulator at 3 pm on Thursday to explain the airline’s operational failures.
