IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has acknowledged that the airline fell short of its service commitments after a wave of severe disruptions, including 300 cancellations on Thursday alone, left thousands of passengers stranded nationwide. In a letter to staff, Elbers said IndiGo had publicly apologised for the operational chaos, citing technology issues, weather challenges, aviation congestion and the introduction of revised Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) as key triggers. As pressure mounts, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has stepped in with formal directions while the airline works to restore schedule stability and address widespread customer frustration.
Operational Turbulence
Elbers wrote, “These past few days have been difficult for many of our IndiGo customers and colleagues. We serve close to 3,80,000 customers a day and want each of them to have a good experience. We could not live up to that promise these past days and we have publicly apologised for that.”
He noted that the newly implemented FDTL norms, designed to ensure adequate crew rest, played a significant role in the cascading disruption. Multiple operational challenges -from technology glitches to adverse weather and increased congestion-compounded the strain on the network.
DGCA Steps In
Regulatory pressure intensified on Thursday as the DGCA issued detailed directions to IndiGo, demanding a structured recovery plan.
The DGCA stated: “IndiGo shall submit a detailed roadmap covering projected crew recruitment viz-a-viz induction of aircraft… Plan for crew training, roster restructuring, safety-risk assessments, and mitigation measures leading to full compliance with immediate effect.”
It further directed IndiGo to outline immediate mitigation steps to stabilise operations and ensure a steady reduction in cancellations. A fortnightly progress report must be submitted every 15 days covering crew availability, operational improvements and roster stability. IndiGo has also been told to submit the FDTL relaxations required to normalise flight operations. The regulator added it would maintain strict, real-time monitoring of the airline’s network and passenger-handling measures over the coming week.
Customer Reassurance & Recovery Efforts
Elbers said IndiGo was “feeling our customers’ concern and anxieties” and was proactively assisting affected passengers. He praised pilots, cabin crew, engineers, OCC teams and frontline staff for working tirelessly to restore normality. While acknowledging the scale and complexity of the challenge, he expressed confidence that punctuality would improve in the coming days.
“We have faced tough moments before… Together, as one team, we will overcome this challenge and emerge even stronger,” he wrote.
