‘How can a ticket cost ₹39,000?’: What Delhi HC said on IndiGo 'crisis'

THe new delhi heights margaret court on midweek reportedly questioned the Centre o'er how the IndiGo flight disruption snowballed into what it called a “crisis”, leaving thousands stranded and ticket prices shooting up overnight.The bench, led by chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela, said the situation not only caused “trouble and harassment” to passengers but also hit the country’s economy, which depends heavily on fast, seamless travel, reported PTI news agency.The bench heard the matter for over 90 minutes and asked the Centre to place the ongoing committee inquiry report before it in a sealed cover by January 22.What Delhi high court saidPulling up airlines for steep fare hikes, the court asked, “The ticket which was available for ₹5,000, the prices went up to ₹30,000 to ₹35,000. If there was a crisis, how could other airlines be permitted to take advantage? How can it (ticket price) go up to ₹35,000 and ₹39,000? How could other airlines start charging?” according to PTI.While acknowledging the corrective steps taken by the Ministry of Civil Aviation and the DGCA, the court, questioned how the situation was allowed to worsen to such an extent.“What bothers us is how such a situation was allowed to precipitate, leading to stranding of lakhs of passengers at airports across the country,” the news agency quoted the bench as saying.However, the judges observed that since a government-appointed committee is already probing the episode, it would not comment on the exact reasons for the disruption, the report added.“While we have taken cognisance of the issue in public interest, we make it clear that the observations are aimed to ensure that best public interest is served both by the government and the airline (IndiGo),” it reportedly said.The court also instructed the authorities to normalise operations quickly and ensure that all airlines maintain adequate pilot strength.Surge ‘controlled and capped’During the hearing, the government’s counsel said the chaos stemmed from multiple violations of guidelines, especially those related to crew flight-duty hours. They also said the authorities “controlled and capped” the fare surge, something that had never been done before.The Centre and the DGCA further told the court that the regulatory mechanisms were in place, adding that IndiGo had been issued a show-cause notice and had “apologised profusely”.According to a separate report by ANI news agency, the ASG told the court that IndiGo’s problems stemmed from repeated requests for extensions in implementing revised Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms.The DGCA explained that these regulations, aimed at reducing pilot fatigue, had been years in the making and were discussed extensively with all airlines.Smaller carriers had already complied, the court was told, while IndiGo and Air India had sought extra time.The ASG informed the court that an inquiry was already in progress, with the government empowered under Section 19 of the Aircraft Act to take stronger action if required.(With ANI, PTI inputs)