IndiGo CEO apologises, admits lapses after over 500 flights cancelled

Guwahati: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers issued an apology to staff and passengers as the airline continued to face massive operational turmoil, with 550 flights cancelled nationwide on Thursday alone.

His internal email, which quickly circulated on social media, acknowledged that the carrier had failed to deliver the reliable service it promises to the 3.8 lakh passengers it serves daily.

“We could not live up to that promise these past days, and we have publicly apologised for that,” Elbers wrote, calling the last few days extremely challenging for both customers and employees.

Elbers explained that IndiGo’s severe disruption resulted from an accumulation of operational setbacks—minor tech glitches, sudden changes in schedules, adverse weather conditions, growing congestion in the aviation ecosystem, and the rollout of the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) norms. These issues, he said, combined to create a “cascading impact” across the airline’s extensive network.

While the CEO addressed employees, passengers across the country dealt with long queues, delays, last-minute rescheduling and large-scale cancellations. Out of the 550 flights cancelled on Thursday, 191 were from Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad and Hyderabad, causing significant chaos at airports.

IndiGo later issued a public statement, admitting that its network had suffered “widespread disruption” over the past two days. The airline said its teams were working with the support of MoCA, DGCA, BCAS, AAI and airport operators to reduce the ripple effect of delays and restore normal operations. Customers were advised to frequently check their flight status.

The situation follows a troubling pattern: in November alone, the airline cancelled 1,232 flights, prompting the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) to open an investigation. The regulator sought an explanation for the persistent cancellations and delays that month.

In its response to DGCA, IndiGo attributed the November disruptions to:

• 755 staff-related shortages,
• 92 ATC failures,
• 258 airport-related restrictions, and
• 127 miscellaneous reasons.

The DGCA instructed IndiGo to take immediate corrective steps, including expanding crew capacity, to improve reliability.

IndiGo has also notified the DGCA that it will scale down its flight operations starting December 8, and will only be able to restore full normalcy by February 10, 2026. The airline took this step as it continues to struggle with widespread operational disruptions

Meanwhile, frustrated passengers flooded social media with complaints, sharing videos and photos depicting overcrowded terminals and disrupted travel plans.

Despite the widespread inconvenience, IndiGo has assured that it is intensifying efforts to stabilise operations and minimise further disruptions.