New Delhi:Three months after IndiGo faced its worst crisis in the airline’s history, Pieter Elbers resigned as the Chief Executive Officer of the airline with immediate effect.
In his resignation letter, accessed by ThePrint, dated 10 March from Gurgaon, Elbers stated he was stepping down due to “personal reasons” and requested a waiver of his notice period. He had been serving as CEO since September 2022.
“Due to personal reasons, I herewith submit my resignation from the position of CEO of IndiGo with effect from today,” Elbers wrote in his letter to the Board of InterGlobe Aviation, IndiGo‘s parent company.
Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director and co-founder of the airline, will take interim charge of management until a new CEO is appointed.
IndiGo said that the process to appoint a new leader is underway and an announcement is expected in the near term.
The resignation follows a major operational crisis that hit the airline—India’s largest fleet carrier—in early December 2025 when widespread mismanagement caused severe disruptions and stranded millions of passengers.
On 4 December 2025, Elbers issued a public apology, admitting the airline failed to live up to its promise of a good customer experience. In a video statement, he acknowledged the “operational chaos”, saying that the previous steps taken were “not enough”.
Later, a four-member inquiry committee constituted by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) found that insufficient regulatory preparedness and lapses in operational planning caused the disruptions.
The panel observed that the airline had not effectively implemented the revised flight duty time limitations norms designed to regulate crew working hours and rest periods.
Following the probe, the DGCA imposed a penalty of Rs 22 crore on the airline.
Nearly 4,500 IndiGo flights were cancelled during the operational crisis, according to the findings of the DGCA investigation.
The episode raised concerns within India’s aviation sector about the readiness of airlines and regulators to implement the revised crew duty rules. These rules, introduced at the beginning of November, aim to address pilot and cabin crew fatigue and improve overall flight safety.
(Edited by Madhurita Goswami)
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