IndiGo CEO resigns following scheduling fiasco

Indian airline IndiGo and its parent company InterGlobe Aviation announced Tuesday (10 March) that Pieter Elbers had resigned as chief executive officer just months after the airline melted down due to faulty scheduling that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded. Pieter Elbers In a statement announcing his resignation, the airline said the “board of directors would like to thank Pieter for his contribution and service to the organisation, and wishes him well in his future endeavours. Rahul Bhatia, managing director of IndiGo, shall in the interim assume management of the affairs of the airline until such time that the company announces the arrival of a new leader, which is expected in short order.” “Rahul returns to assume management of the affairs of the airline to strengthen the company’s culture, reinforce operational excellence and deepen its commitment to delivering exceptional service of care, reliability and professionalism to its customers”, said Chairman of the Board Vikram Singh Mehta. “Having founded and nurtured IndiGo for 22 years, I feel a deep sense of personal commitment and responsibility towards our nation, and towards the airline’s customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders”, said Rahul Bhatia. “While placing culture, service excellence and stakeholder trust at the forefront of its operations, IndiGo will continue to sharpen its strategic focus on serving India and her people with an airline that is professionally managed, operationally reliable and globally respected.” The resignation follows a scheduling meltdown in December 2025 that forced IndiGo to cancel an estimated 4,500 flights over 10 days affecting more than 300,000 passengers. The crisis was triggered by IndiGo’s failure to adapt its crew rosters to new Flight Duty Time Limitation rules introduced by India’s civil aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation, according to Indian media reports. The rules, which tightened caps on pilot duty hours, night landings, and weekly rest requirements, had been signalled well in advance. Other Indian carriers absorbed the transition without comparable disruption. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation issued a show cause notice to Elbers personally in December, giving him 24 hours to explain why regulatory action should not be taken against him. The regulator concluded he had failed in his duty and had not intervened in time to prevent the collapse. Regulators also dined the airline which was also ordered to cut its schedule by 10 percent and clear all outstanding passenger refunds. For Editorial Inquiries Contact: Editor Matt Driskill at [email protected] For Advertising Inquiries Contact: Head of Sales Sally Passey at [email protected]