PIL in Supreme Court Seeks Urgent Action Over IndiGo Flight Crisis

New Delhi: A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking immediate judicial intervention into what has been described as an “unprecedented operational collapse” of IndiGo Airlines, which has cancelled more than 1,000 flights over the last few days. Filed by ‘IndiGo All Passenger and Another’ through advocate Narendra Mishra, the petition urged the Apex Court to take suo motu cognisance of the crisis, calling it a serious violation of the fundamental right to life and dignity under Article 21 of the Constitution.

The plea stated that the mass cancellations and long delays have created a “humanitarian crisis” at major airports. Passengers, including senior citizens, infants and those with medical needs, were allegedly left without food, water, rest areas or emergency assistance. According to the petitioners, the situation has gone far beyond a simple contractual dispute, becoming a matter of grave public injury and a direct violation of citizens’ right to life and liberty.

IndiGo has said the disruptions stem from planning lapses during the rollout of Phase-II of the revised Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms for pilots. However, the PIL argued that both IndiGo and the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) failed to conduct adequate oversight to prevent the crisis. Adding to the distress, the petition noted that airfares on key routes skyrocketed to over ₹50,000, effectively “holding the travelling public hostage” and undermining the fundamental promise of affordable air travel.

The PIL has sought the formation of a Special Bench for an urgent hearing and urged the Supreme Court to direct IndiGo to immediately stop arbitrary cancellations and offer free alternative travel arrangements, including seats on other airlines or rail routes, for stranded passengers. It also requested that the DGCA and the Union Civil Aviation Ministry submit a detailed status report containing the full text of the revised FDTL norms, along with a comprehensive plan to monitor IndiGo’s compliance and ensure safe restoration of normal operations.

Claiming that lakhs of passengers were deprived of essential basic needs during a widespread aviation crisis, the petition emphasised that only swift judicial oversight can restore accountability and public confidence in India’s civil aviation framework.