Supreme Court refuses to intervene in IndiGo flight cancellations: ‘Steps appear to have been taken’
The plea was brought up by an advocate who said that around 2,500 flights had been delayed at 95 airports across the country.
The Supreme Court on Monday declined to hear a plea seeking an urgent hearing on the recent cancellations and delays of IndiGo flights. Notably, more than 4,500 flights have been cancelled since Tuesday last week.
The plea was brought up by an advocate who said that around 2,500 flights had been delayed at 95 airports across the country, causing difficulties for many people.
Track live updates related to IndiGo flight cancellations here.
IndiGo flight cancellations: Why SC refused to intervene
The bench included Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi, who observed that many people had been left stranded at airports and some of them might even have health issues.
However, the top court said that the Centre had taken cognisance of the issue. “We understand that lakhs of people are stranded. Maybe some people have urgent work, and they are not able to... But then the government of India has taken cognisance of the issue. Timely steps appear to have been taken. We don’t see any urgency right now,” CJI Kant said.
A similar plea was filed in the Delhi High Court seeking directions to the Centre to support people affected by the large number of IndiGo flight cancellations. On Monday, the high court said that the petition on IndiGo flight cancellations will be listed for hearing on Wednesday.
IndiGo crisis
IndiGo's operational disruptions continued for the seventh straight day on Monday, when over 400 flights were cancelled. Since Tuesday, the largest airline in the country has cancelled more than 4,500 flights, leaving passengers stranded at airports.
The major disruption to IndiGo flights happened mainly because due to the airline's failure to prepare for and comply with new, stricter pilot rest regulations (Flight Duty Time Limitations or FDTL), which came into effect on November 1, 2025, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said.
The aviation regulator had issued show cause notices to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and the company's accountable manager to explain the large-scale disruptions across the country.
It gave IndiGo an extension of 24 hours until 6 pm on Monday to respond to the notice after the crisis-hit airline requested more time.
