Large pileup of luggage is seen at Delhi airport in New Delhi on December 08, 2025 after IndiGo flight cancellations. File
| Photo Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

The Supreme Court on Monday (December 15, 2025) said the spate of cancellation of Indigo flights is a “grave and public” concern, but declined to intervene on the ground that the Delhi High Court is already hearing the case and the Director General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has formed a committee to investigate the lapse which left thousands stranded in airports.

A three-judge Bench headed by Chief Justice of India Surya Kant addressed petitioner-in-person Narendra Mishra that it did not want a parallel proceeding in the Supreme Court, which may dissuade the High Court from continuing to hear the case before it.

Senior advocate Mukul Rohatgi, appearing for Indigo, apprised the court about the DGCA-constituted committee. He informed the Bench that the existence and work of the committee has been recorded in the High Court order.

The petition had been mentioned in the Supreme Court last week for an urgent hearing, but the plea had been refused and allowed to come up for hearing this week in the routine manner.

However, even the previous week had seen the court acknowledge that the cancellation had led to a crisis. 

“It is a serious matter. Lakhs of people are stranded at the airports. We know that the government of India has taken timely action and cognizance of the issue. We know people may have health issues and other important issues etc.,” Chief Justice Kant had said.

Mr. Mishra said the cancellations were not informed to the passengers. He had added that around 2,500 flights were delayed. Passengers were stuck in 95 airports across the country, many, old and young, had to bed down on the floor.

IndiGo had cancelled flights citing regulatory changes in the pilots’ flight duty and regulations norms since December 2.

Published – December 15, 2025 01:12 pm IST