IndiGo is 'back on its feet', says CEO after days of nationwide flight chaos

IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Albers on Tuesday said the airline was “back on its feet,” following a nationwide crisis triggered by hundreds of cancelled flights.

In his statement, he thanked customers for accepting the airline’s apology and returning to book tickets once again.

Albers acknowledged the turmoil caused by the breakdown in operations, saying the airline had let passengers down during the disruption.

He assured travellers that IndiGo’s operations are now stable and fully restored.

Flight ops gradually returned to normal

The CEO detailed the airline’s gradual climb back to normalcy after the collapse earlier this month.

IndiGo managed to operate only 700 flights on December 5.

This number steadily improved to 1,500 flights on December 6 and 1,650 flights on December 7.

By the next day, operations had reached 1,800 flights, and today the figure surpassed that mark.

Albers confirmed that IndiGo is again flying to all 138 destinations across its network and that on-time performance has returned to expected levels.

Airline addresses passenger concerns

Albers said the airline has been working relentlessly to support passengers who were affected by the cancellations.

He noted that IndiGo has provided full refunds with “no questions asked,” assisted travellers stranded across airports and ensured that misplaced baggage is being returned.

Although the cancellations cannot be undone, he said the airline is committed to making amends and learning from the crisis.

With immediate operations stabilised, IndiGo has begun evaluating the factors that triggered the disruption.

Albers said the airline is focusing on identifying internal issues, understanding the lessons from the crisis and strengthening its systems to avoid such failures in the future.

Govt tightens scrutiny after airport chaos

Even as IndiGo claims recovery, the government has escalated action against the airline over the nationwide chaos that unfolded.

Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu told Parliament that no airline, regardless of size, would be allowed to inconvenience passengers or compromise safety standards.

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has issued showcause notices to IndiGo’s top management and opened a formal investigation into the episode.

Naidu said strict action under the Aircraft Act and existing rules will follow once the regulator completes its inquiry.

What causes the massive breakdown

The minister explained that the crisis emerged during the phased rollout of new flight duty time limitations designed to prevent pilot fatigue.

The DGCA implemented the rules in two phases, beginning July 1 and then November 1.

IndiGo had assured the regulator that it was fully prepared to comply.

However, Naidu said initial assessments suggest that despite these assurances, internal crew rostering failures within IndiGo caused widespread cancellations and led to significant inconvenience for thousands of travellers.

The government has reiterated that passenger safety and operational reliability remain non-negotiable.