‘IndiGo back on its feet’: CEO Pieter Elbers to passengers after nationwide cancellations

IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers said in a video message to passengers on Tuesday that the airline’s operations have “stabilized” after nearly a week of nationwide disruptions and cancellations that left passengers stranded across major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru.

“IndiGo is back on its feet, and our operations are stable. Thousands of customers have received full refunds, and we continue to process them daily. Most of the bags stuck at airports have been delivered to homes. We are meeting all customer needs,” Elbers said.

He said the airline was conducting an internal review to examine the factors that led to the widespread disruptions. Elbers added that the airline has issued refunds to thousands of customers and is still continuing to process them on a daily basis.

He pointed out, “As of yesterday, we have returned to flights to all 138 destinations. We continue to work in full cooperation with the government. Internally, we have begun to review the reasons that led to this disruption, the lessons that must be learned, and how to emerge stronger.”

Moreover, it presented a daily decline in the number of IndiGo flights taking off since December 5. “On December 5th, we could only fly 700 flights. After that, we gradually but steadily improved to 1,500 on the 6th, 1,650 on the 7th, 1,800 yesterday, and today more than 1,800.”

Elbers advised passengers to check IndiGo’s official website for latest updates. The IndiGo CEO also claimed that the airline’s management is receiving warm messages from its customers.

“While there is still customer anxiety, I would also like to share that we are receiving warm messages from our customers, and people are back booking our flight, which gives us great encouragement.”

Earlier in the day, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told the Lok Sabha that IndiGo is being held accountable and refunds are being made for canceled flights up to December 15. The airline has issued refunds worth over Rs 750 crore so far and baggage handling is in the final stages, he added.

“Operations are rapidly stabilizing, safety remains fully operational, IndiGo is held accountable, passenger comfort and dignity are being protected and long-term measures are being taken to make the Indian aviation sector more passenger centric,” Naidu told the Lok Sabha.

Moreover, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked IndiGo to cut 5 per cent of its winter schedule across sectors, especially on high-demand routes. IndiGo said in an update that it has fully restored airline operations and its on-time performance has reached 90 per cent across the network.