The Delhi High Court on Wednesday directed crisis-hit IndiGo to compensate passengers who were stranded at airports due to the cancellation of thousands of flights, even as it blasted the Centre for failing to prevent airfares from soaring to Rs 40,000.
Calling the situation “alarming”, a division bench headed by Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya said the situation was not just about inconvenience to passengers but of the broader economic impact.
We expect adequate steps will be taken by the Civil Aviation Ministry, DGCA and IndiGo to compensate passengers who were stranded at airports at the earliest,” the High Court said. The court also pulled up the Centre for allowing the situation to precipitate and taking action only after the crisis had erupted.
“If there were a crisis, how can other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it go to 35-40k? You allowed the situation to precipitate,” the court said. “Such a situation is not confined to causing inconvenience to the passengers but also affects the economy of the country,” it further said.
To this, Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma said strict action against IndiGo, India’s largest airline, was being taken, and a show-cause notice was already served to the carrier.
Amid IndiGo’s massive operational collapse, airfares tripled and even quadrupled in some routes. For example, ticket prices for a non-stop DelhiāMumbai flight shot up to Rs 65,460 last week.
The Centre stepped in and capped domestic economy-class fares. It also ordered IndiGo to slash 10% of its flights, which could see more than 200 flights being cancelled daily.
As the ASG detailed the steps taken by the Centre, the High Court was not impressed and asked pointedly, “They were taken by you once the crisis erupted. The question is not this. Why at all the situation arise? And what have you been doing?”