IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers released a video statement acknowledging the airline’s unprecedented operational disruptions over the past several days, culminating in December 5 becoming the most severely affected day, with well over 1,000 flight cancellations, amounting to more than half of IndiGo’s daily operations.
In the statement, Elbers opened with a direct apology, saying, “I, on behalf of all of us at IndiGo, would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the major inconvenience this has caused to many of our customers on account of delays or cancellations.”
He emphasised that while the situation arose from ‘various causes’, what matters most now is how IndiGo responds.
Elbers outlined three key areas of action that IndiGo is prioritising to stabilise operations. He said the first focus is on strengthening customer communication and support, noting, “Messages have been sent on social media, and just now, a more detailed communication with information on refunds, cancellations and other customer support measures was sent.” He added that IndiGo has increased call-centre capacity to manage the surge in passenger queries and complaints.
The second priority is clearing the backlog of stranded passengers at major airports. Addressing widespread images of long queues, Elbers said, “We had customers stranded mostly at the nation’s largest airports. Our focus was for all of them to be able to travel today itself, which will be achieved.” He also urged customers not to go to airports if their flights had been cancelled, explaining that notifications are being issued promptly.
The third area of action involves a system-wide reboot and realignment of crew and aircraft. Elbers acknowledged that IndiGo made the difficult decision to implement extensive cancellations on December 5 to restore operational balance. He said, “Cancellations were made for today as to align our crew and planes to be where they need to start afresh tomorrow morning.”
He added that earlier mitigation efforts had fallen short: “Earlier measures of the last few days regrettably have proven not to be enough.”
The airline has now initiated what Elbers called a “reboot of all our systems and schedules”, resulting in the highest number of cancellations so far. However, this step, he said, was “imperative for progressive improvements starting as from tomorrow.”
Elbers said IndiGo expects cancellations to drop below 1,000 tomorrow, with gradual improvement each day. He acknowledged regulatory assistance, “The support from DGCA in providing specific FDTL implementation relief is of great help.”
He added that while progress is underway, “Given the size, scale, and complexity of our operation, it will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we do anticipate between the 10th and the 15th of December. I do understand that these disruptions have caused much discomfort to our customers and has shaken their belief in IndiGo’s reliability, so carefully built over these past 19 years.”
Assuring customers, he said, “My colleagues, all the great IndiGo teams, and frontline staff have been working relentlessly to address the situation. Rest assured, we are doing everything in our control to not only restore your trust and belief, but strengthen it further over time. Thank you for your patience, understanding, and kindness during this difficult time. We shall keep you updated on an ongoing basis.”
