IndiGo Faces PIL Over Flight Cancellations; Chairman Apologizes, Operations Normalized

InterGlobe Aviation, parent of IndiGo, has disclosed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed in the Delhi High Court on December 10 by passengers Akhil Rana and Utkarsh Sharma over recent large-scale flight cancellations. The PIL names the airline, Ministry of Civil Aviation, and DGCA as respondents, highlighting passenger distress during disruptions from December 3–5. Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta issued a formal apology, calling the incident a “blemish” on IndiGo’s record and acknowledging widespread impacts—stranded passengers, missed connections, baggage delays, and disrupted personal and medical commitments. Despite the crisis, ICRA affirmed its credit ratings, maintaining ICRA [AA] (Stable) for long-term and [A1+] for short-term facilities, citing strong market fundamentals: 63% domestic share, a fleet of 434 aircraft, and ₹38,500 crore in unencumbered cash. Operations have now normalized with over 1,900 daily flights across all 138 destinations, high on-time performance, and hundreds of crores in refunds processed. An external expert has been appointed to identify root causes—linked to FDTL norms, winter schedules, congestion, and technical issues—and recommend corrective measures. While financial losses from cancellations and compensation are expected, ICRA views any spike in leverage as temporary. The episode underscores operational vulnerabilities but also the airline’s resilience and dominant position in India’s aviation sector.