A new public interest litigation has landed before the Delhi High Court demanding four times compensation for passengers affected by mass IndiGo flight cancellations and calling for an independent inquiry into the Directorate General of Civil Aviation’s regulatory failure, with the matter set to be heard on December 17 amid ongoing judicial scrutiny of the aviation disruption.
Filed by the Centre for Accountability and Systemic Change, the petition alleges that IndiGo’s non-compliance with revised Flight Duty Time Limitation norms triggered a nationwide operational breakdown, leading to the cancellation of over 5,000 flights and leaving thousands of passengers stranded across major airports. The plea highlights passenger grievances ranging from poor communication and delayed refunds to sudden airfare spikes despite government-imposed caps, and urges the Centre to initiate a class action consumer case against the airline under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The petition squarely fixes responsibility on the aviation regulator, asserting that DGCA’s inaction allowed the crisis to escalate unchecked and therefore warrants an independent probe by a retired judge or the Lokpal. It notes that the High Court is already monitoring the IndiGo disruption and had recently directed the airline to compensate affected passengers while asking the Central government to proceed against erring carriers, reinforcing the Court’s earlier observation that “passengers cannot be left remediless for systemic failures in civil aviation.” The plea now seeks enhanced compensation and institutional accountability as the next step.
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