Three months after a major operational crisis disrupted flights across the country, the CEO of IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, resigned on Monday with immediate effect. The airline confirmed the development through stock exchange filings and an official statement.
Following his resignation, IndiGo’s promoter and managing director Rahul Bhatia will temporarily oversee the airline’s operations until a new CEO is appointed. The airline said the process of selecting a successor is expected to conclude soon.
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In his resignation letter, Elbers cited personal reasons for stepping down after leading the airline for more than three years. He joined IndiGo in September 2022 after serving as the President and CEO of KLM for eight years.
Elbers played a key role in expanding IndiGo’s international network, a strategy he described as the airline’s “internationalisation.” During his tenure, the carrier also introduced business-class services on select routes and began exploring long-haul operations with wide-body aircraft.
However, the airline faced a major setback in December when an operational meltdown led to thousands of flight cancellations. The disruption was largely attributed to inadequate planning around new pilot duty and rest regulations.
The crisis peaked on December 5, when over 1,600 of the airline’s more than 2,300 daily flights were cancelled in a single day. India’s aviation regulator, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), later imposed a record penalty of ₹22.20 crore on the airline and ordered it to reduce its winter flight schedule by 10%.
