IndiGo Airlines CEO Pieter Elbers has issued a formal public apology following days of severe operational disruptions that culminated in massive flight cancellations on December 5, 2025. The carrier cancelled over 1,000 flights—representing more than half of its daily operations—stranding passengers across Indian airports and creating widespread travel chaos.
Elbers characterized December 5 as the ‘most severely impacted day’ of an ongoing operational crisis that has persisted for several days. The CEO outlined a three-point action plan to address the situation and restore normal operations.
The comprehensive strategy includes enhanced customer communication with detailed refund information and support measures, a request for passengers with cancelled flights to avoid airports to prevent congestion, and a full system ‘reboot’ implemented on December 5. This reboot involved strategic cancellations to properly align aircraft and crew resources for a fresh operational start on December 6.
Elbers acknowledged that previous measures proved insufficient, necessitating the complete operational reset. The airline has increased call center capacity and expects cancellations to drop below 1,000 flights by Saturday, with a full return to normal operations projected between December 10 and 15.
The CEO expressed gratitude to India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation for providing regulatory flexibility regarding Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL) during the crisis. Elbers concluded by recognizing the shaken customer confidence in IndiGo and pledged that frontline staff and teams are working relentlessly to restore trust in the airline’s services.