NEW DELHI, Dec 8: The Supreme Court on Monday declined an urgent hearing on a plea seeking judicial intervention into mass flight cancellations by IndiGo, observing that the Centre has already taken note of the disruptions and initiated corrective steps.
Chief Justice Surya Kant, heading a bench with Justice Joymalya Bagchi, acknowledged the gravity of the situation, noting that “lakhs of people are stranded at the airports.” The bench said it was aware of passengers facing health concerns and other urgent issues amid the ongoing disruptions.
A lawyer mentioning the matter pointed out that widespread cancellations over the past several days had caused severe hardship, with passengers often not being informed in advance. He claimed around 2,500 flights were delayed and travellers were suffering at 95 airports nationwide.
Sources said more than 250 IndiGo flights from Delhi and Bengaluru were cancelled on Monday alone, as operational disruptions entered the seventh day. At Delhi airport, 134 flights — 75 departures and 59 arrivals — were scrapped, while Bengaluru saw 117 cancellations — 65 arrivals and 62 departures.
IndiGo has been under pressure from both the government and passengers since December 2 for cancelling hundreds of flights, attributing the disruptions to regulatory changes in pilots’ flight duty and rest norms. The cancellations have left lakhs of travellers stranded across the country. (Agencies)
