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'What happened in Dec': IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers quits 18 months ahead of term end, founder Rahul Bhatia takes charge
Mass cancellations of IndiGo flights in Dec 2025, blamed on the flight duty time limit norms, left thousands stranded in India, and drew regulatory scrutiny
IndiGo, India's largest airline, announced on Tuesday that its chief executive officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers has resigned. Neither Elbers, who was contracted up to 2027, nor IndiGo stated a reason for the move that comes three months after the airline faced massive flight disruptions and Elbers faced direct scrutiny too.
They thanked each other, and Elbers sought a waiver of notice period in his resignation, though it was not immediately clear how long he would stay on for a handover. But his tenure is cut short by about 18 months with the move; he joined IndiGo in September 2022 for a five-year tenure that was to end in 2027.
The mass cancellations in December 2025 apparently due to pilot shortage — triggered by flight duty time limit (FTDL) norms — left tens of thousands of passengers stranded in India.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed a fine of ₹22.2 crore, and issued notices directly to Elbers. While he initially survived calls for his resignation, the crisis significantly dented the airline's reputation for punctuality.
For now, according to the press statement released by Indigo, managing director Rahul Bhatia would manage the company until a replacement is hired.
"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, care, reliability and professionalism to its customers," said the chairman of the board, Vikram Singh Mehta.
‘What happened last December’
Bhatia told employees in internal mail after Elbers quit, that “what happened last Dec(ember) should never have taken place”.
"Our customers didn't deserve it. nor did all of (you), esp(ecially) frontline employees who bore most of the brunt for no fault," he said,
He underlined that he had founded “and nurtured IndiGo for twenty-two years”, and expressed “a deep sense of personal commitment and responsibility towards our nation, and towards the airline's customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders”.
He signed off with the popular Shah Rukh Khan dialogue “Main hoon na” — ‘I am there’.
