Mumbai: Advocate Files Legal Complaint to DGCA Against IndiGo Over 'Operational Collapse,' Demands Compensation for Stranded Passengers
A Mumbai-based advocate lodged a formal legal complaint with the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) against IndiGo Airlines for gross deficiency in service, passenger harassment, and mental trauma, after her flight from Bengaluru to Mumbai was cancelled amid the massive Indian aviation chaos.
Adv. Sunita Banis detailed a harrowing chronology of events, which mirror the reports of widespread disruption across IndiGo’s network attributed to the struggle in implementing new pilot duty-hour norms. According to the complaint, her flight 6E-5292 from Bengaluru to Mumbai, scheduled to depart at 10.15pm was repeatedly delayed after she reached the airport, completed the check-in process and was waiting at the boarding gate, before it was ultimately cancelled.
She alleged that passengers, including women and senior citizens, were left helplessly on the floor, hungry, thirsty, and uninformed. The lawyer claimed that she would miss hearings of crucial matters listed at the Bombay High Court because of the airline turning a blind eye towards the passengers, leading to significant professional and financial loss. She alleged that she had to trace and retrieve her checked-in baggage alone, citing a lack of airline staff presence and scattered luggage.
The complaint argued that IndiGo's actions constituted a blatant violation of the DGCA Civil Aviation Requirements (CAR) on passenger compensation, Aircraft Rules, 1937, and the Consumer Protection Act, 2019.
The advocate’s complaint, demanded comprehensive compensation and immediate intervention by the regulator, asserting that the airline’s conduct amounted to a "complete collapse of operational responsibility." She urged the regulator to dDirect IndiGo to pay adequate compensation to all affected passengers, including herself, for the delay, mental harassment, and consequential losses. She also demanded that her ticket should be rebooked without any additional charges and urged the regulator to enforce stricter penalties against the airline.
"This letter is a cry for accountability not just for myself, but for the hundreds of innocent passengers who were treated as if their time, dignity, and livelihoods meant nothing," the advocate stated in her letter, adding that she will initiate legal proceedings if the complaint is not addressed within a reasonable period.
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