IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on Thursday said the airline is now focused on resilience, root cause analysis, and rebuilding operations after widespread flight cancellations earlier this month disrupted travel for lakhs of passengers across the country.
In a video message addressed to employees on December 18, Elbers said IndiGo has stabilised its operations and restored its network to around 2,200 flights per day. He added that the airline’s Board has appointed an external aviation expert to conduct a comprehensive root cause analysis of the disruptions.
“After stabilising our operations, our focus is now on resilience, root cause analysis, and rebuilding the airline,” Elbers said, attributing the crisis to a compounding effect of several factors.
The airline faced severe operational challenges between December 1 and December 9, cancelling thousands of flights amid crew shortages and inadequate preparedness for new pilot duty time and rest regulations that came into effect on November 1. Passengers were left stranded at airports, with reports of poor communication and lack of basic amenities during the disruptions.
Elbers said he and the leadership team will travel across IndiGo’s network to meet frontline employees who bore the brunt of public backlash during the crisis and to better understand the challenges they faced.
Meanwhile, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has constituted a panel to probe the disruptions. The government has also cut IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10% as a corrective measure following the large-scale cancellations.
IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, is now working to restore passenger confidence while addressing systemic gaps in planning and crew management.
