IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers resigns three months after mass flight cancellations

IN a major development at India’s largest airline, IndiGo, CEO Pieter Elbers has resigned from his role with immediate effect, according to an exchange filing made on Tuesday. 

The airline, operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, confirmed the resignation and said that MD Rahul Bhatia will take charge of the company’s interim management for the time being.

In his resignation letter addressed to Rahul Bhatia, Elbers said he was stepping down due to “personal reasons” and also requested that his notice period be waived. 

CEO Pieter Elbers' resignation comes months after the airline faced one of the toughest phases in its history, which left more than three lakh passengers stranded at airports.

In December last year, IndiGo went through its worst-ever operational crisis, which led to widespread flight disruptions and drew heavy criticism from passengers and industry observers.

He had taken over as the CEO of IndiGo in 2022, but the December crisis put him under intense scrutiny, eventually leading to this leadership change at the airline. 

To recall, India’s aviation regulator, DGCA, on Saturday imposed penalties worth Rs 22.20 crore on the airline over the massive flight disruptions that took place in December.

The regulator also issued warnings to CEO Pieter Elbers and two other senior executives for failing to comply with operational norms. DGCA also directed the airline to submit a bank guarantee of Rs 50 crore to ensure that long-term systemic improvements are made.

According to the regulator, the disruption between December 3 and December 5 severely affected passengers across the country. During this period, 2,507 flights were cancelled, while 1,852 flights were delayed, leaving more than 3 lakh passengers stranded at airports nationwide.