IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers Apologises To Customers, Says Operations Are Stabilising And Thanks Staff - VIDEO

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers has shared a detailed message with employees as the airline works to recover from major disruptions in its operations on Sunday. In his statement, Elbers said he was speaking on Sunday afternoon (December 7) from IndiGo’s Operations Control Centre, where teams are working "relentlessly" to stabilise and normalise flights.

He praised staff across departments, saying they represent the "unwavering spirit, professionalism and incredible commitment" of everyone at IndiGo and thanked "each and every one" for their hard work over the past few difficult days.

Elbers explained that the airline had "rebooted" its systems on Friday, which required a significant number of flight cancellations that day. He said this plan helped IndiGo "start afresh" on Saturday. The airline operated around 1,500 flights on Saturday, compared to "only 700-ish" on Friday, showing a strong improvement.

He added that cancellations were now being done earlier so that customers do not reach the airport only to find their flights cancelled.

On Sunday, Elbers said IndiGo was targeting around 1,650 flights with better on-time performance (OTP), fewer cancellations and improved advance communication to customers. He said Sunday's OTP was projected to be about 75%, up from 30% the previous day.

Elbers also shared that IndiGo’s network coverage had almost fully recovered, with 137 out of 138 stations operating again. Processes for refunds, luggage and rebooking were "in full swing" and the airline was reducing the backlog as it moved forward.

He acknowledged that the last few days had been very tough for staff, especially those in the Operations Control Centre, pilots, cabin crew and teams dealing with delayed flights and disrupted rosters. He made a special mention of AOCS (airport customer service) staff, who had to handle angry and stranded passengers at airports, particularly on December 5. "I am grateful to everyone," he said.

Elbers also thanked government bodies and aviation authorities for their support, including the Ministry, DGCA, CISF, BCAS and airports across India.

Speaking about passengers, he said that he and the entire IndiGo team "feel the pain of our customers" and are "deeply apologetic". He stressed that addressing customer needs "is and will remain our topmost priority".

He added that along with complaints, the airline was also receiving "heartwarming messages" from customers appreciating the hard work done by IndiGo staff on the ground and on board.

Elbers ended his message by thanking employees once again and expressing confidence about the road ahead. He said he was sure IndiGo would "emerge stronger" from this phase and added, "Step by step, we are getting there. Thank you."