IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the airline has restored its full network of around 2,200 flights on Thursday, December 18, marking a key step in stabilising operations after weeks of disruption. He added that the airline will appoint an external aviation expert to carry out a detailed review to understand the “compounding effects” that led to the crisis at India’s largest airline.
In a video message to employees, Elbers praised the IndiGo team for “weathering the storm” and said the focus is now on rebuilding operations. He noted that the airline had already stabilised its schedule to operate more than 1,800 flights daily to 138 destinations as of December 9, despite challenges such as dense fog and other weather-related disruptions that affected several airports in recent days.
Elbers said the worst phase of the disruption is now over and described the past two weeks as extremely challenging. He thanked IndiGo’s workforce of around 65,000 employees, including pilots, cabin crew, airport staff, operations control teams and customer service personnel, for their efforts during the crisis. He also urged staff not to speculate on the causes until a full analysis is completed, adding that the leadership team will engage with employees across levels to gather feedback and understand the issues faced.
IndiGo has been dealing with a major operational crisis after more than 1,200 flights were cancelled, mainly due to an unexpected shortage of pilots following the implementation of new duty-time rules. The situation led to emergency schedule reductions and required regulatory intervention. The disruption caused long queues and delays at airports, leaving thousands of passengers stranded, with cities such as Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Goa among those most affected as cancellations rippled across the airline’s network.
