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IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said a three-day period of operational disruption should not define the airline's 20-year journey in India. He admitted passengers were let down in early December, when over 2,500 flights were cancelled and nearly 1,900 were delayed, affecting more than 3 lakh travellers. The DGCA cut IndiGo's winter schedule by 10 per cent until February 10, imposed fines of INR 22.20 crore, and sought a INR 50 crore bank guarantee. Elbers said the airline would use the episode to improve systems.
IndiGo chief executive officer Pieter Elbers said a brief phase of operational disruption should not be seen as a reflection of the airline's performance over the past 20 years. During his first in-person interaction with the media in India after the disruption episode, Elbers accepted that passengers were affected for three days and acknowledged that the incident also hurt the airline's reputation. Advertisement
The operational issues surfaced in early December and led to widespread flight cancellations and delays across IndiGo's domestic network. During the three-day period from December 3 to December 5, the airline cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 flights, impacting more than 3 lakh passengers at airports across the country, as stated by the aviation regulator.
In response to the situation, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed restrictions on IndiGo's winter schedule, cutting it by 10 per cent until February 10 to stabilise operations. The regulator later imposed penalties amounting to INR 22.20 crore for the lapses and issued warnings to Elbers and two other senior executives. IndiGo was also directed to submit a bank guarantee of INR 50 crore to ensure that long-term systemic corrections are implemented.
Elbers reiterated that while the airline failed its customers during those three days, such an episode cannot define an airline that has been operating since 2006 and has grown into the country's largest carrier by market share. He said the company would use the experience to strengthen its systems and improve operational reliability.
The comments were made on the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 aviation summit, where discussions focused on capacity growth, regulatory oversight, and the need for consistent service standards amid rising passenger volumes in the Indian aviation market.
Source PTI
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