New Delhi: Three months after unprecedented flight cancellations left tens of thousands of passengers stranded, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has resigned.
The country’s largest airline, operated by Interglobe Aviation Ltd, said on Tuesday Elbers has quit with immediate effect for personal reasons.
Managing Director Rahul Bhatia will manage the company in the interim until a replacement is hired.
Since Elbers took charge of the low-cost carrier in September 2022, IndiGo crossed the $10-billion revenue mark, expanded its fleet to 440 aircraft, and placed a historic order for 500 Airbus A320-family planes.
However, all the good work was overshadowed by a gigantic operational meltdown in December 2025, as IndiGo struggled to implement new rules designed to prevent pilot fatigue.
IndiGo had to cancel more than 2,500 flights while 1,900 others were delayed between December 3 and 5, affecting over 3 lakh passengers.
Following an inquiry, DGCA imposed a record fine of Rs 22.20 crore and issued showcause notice directly to Elbers.
Even as Elbers survived calls for his head in the aftermath of the crisis, the December meltdown severely dented the airline’s reputation of being a model of punctuality.
