₹22 cr penalty levied on IndiGo for December chaos: Govt to Delhi HC

The Union government on Thursday told the Delhi High Court (HC) that it had levied a ₹22 crore penalty on IndiGo, and directed the airline to remove its senior vice president (VP) from duty in connection with the large-scale flight disruptions witnessed in early December last year.

 

In a statement on Saturday, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had issued a caution to the airline's chief executive officer (CEO) for inadequate oversight of flight operations and crisis management; a warning to the accountable manager for failing to assess the impact of the Winter Schedule 2025 and the revised flight duty time limitation (FDTL) civil aviation regulation, which led to widespread disruptions; and a warning to the senior vice president (VP), with directions to relieve him of all operational responsibilities and not assign any accountable role, for systemic planning failures and delayed implementation of the revised FDTL norms.

 

Warnings were also issued to the deputy head of flight operations, AVP of crew resource planning, and director of flight operations for lapses in operations, supervision, manpower planning, and roster management. IndiGo has been directed to initiate action against any other personnel identified through its internal inquiry and submit a compliance report to the DGCA.

 

Appearing for the Centre, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma told the HC that the carrier has also been asked to furnish a ₹50 crore bank guarantee in favour of the aviation regulator to secure adherence to corrective measures and ensure longer-term systemic compliance. He added that warnings have been issued to other officials of the airline as well.

 

The submission was made before a division bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, which was hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) petition seeking a probe into the disruptions.

 

The government also placed before the court, in a sealed cover, its report on the inquiry conducted into the incident. Advocate Anjana Gosain appeared for the DGCA before the court.

 

The bench was informed that passengers affected by the cancellations and delays have received refunds, and that the process of paying compensation is underway.

 

After a brief hearing, the court directed the Centre to place its position on record through an affidavit within two weeks. The matter has been listed for further hearing on February 25.

 

The PIL, filed by advocates Akhil Rana and Utkarsh Sharma, relates to the mass cancellation and delay of flights by IndiGo between December 3 and 5. During the period, the airline cancelled 2,507 services and delayed 1,852 flights, triggering congestion at airports and leaving a large number of passengers stranded.

 

The airline was impacted by a shortage of pilots and lapses in implementing the revised FDTL.

 

In the aftermath of the crisis, the DGCA granted temporary exemptions to IndiGo to manage operations, and directed it to reduce its scheduled flights by at least 5 per cent.

 

The plea before the HC seeks a judicial inquiry, adequate compensation for affected passengers, and relief for those stranded at airports. It contends that arbitrary cancellations, unexplained delays, denial of mandatory refunds, overbooking, unfair trade practices, regulatory non-compliance, and safety concerns undermine passenger rights and public interest.

 

During an earlier hearing on December 10, 2025, the court had questioned the Centre over its failure to avert the disruption, and had directed that the inquiry report be produced in a sealed cover.

 

The court on Thursday also directed IndiGo to submit an affidavit in two weeks detailing the refund and compensation it has initiated for passengers affected by flight disruptions. The court will hear the case again on February 25.