‘Three days don’t define 20 years’: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers on 2025 flight chaos

HYDERABAD: In a candid reflection on the 2025 flight disruption that left thousands of passengers stranded, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers admitted the airline failed its customers for three days, but stressed that the crisis does not define IndiGo’s 20-year legacy.

He addressed the media at the Wings India 2026 Summit in Hyderabad, Telangana. Elbers said swift corrective measures helped stabilise operations within nine days, as the airline resumed carrying nearly 3.7-3.8 lakh passengers daily.

“We let our customers down on those three days, and we apologise… On the 5th day, we began resetting our network. We took a deep cut for the days thereafter and started rebuilding. By the 9th, we were back to stable operations… We tried to inform everyone in a timely manner, offer an alternative, and reroute them to another flight. At the end of December, we were back to 3.7-3.8 lakh customers on a daily basis,” he said.

#WATCH | Hyderabad, Telangana: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers says, “…When the other parts of the world are still struggling and are just slightly above the pre-COVID levels, India is now significantly above pre-COVID levels in aviation growth. This year, we turn 20 years young… On… pic.twitter.com/nqmPLl59g2

— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2026

“We cannot let three days go by, and if you want to make it seven days, define what Indigo has built over 20 years… We have to learn from it. We’re on a journey to become one of the largest operators in the world and an airline that matches the size, potential, and opportunity of India,” the CEO said.

Earlier, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) imposed penalties totalling Rs 22.20 crore on IndiGo Airlines following widespread flight disruptions in early December 2025 that affected more than 3 lakh passengers across the country.

This action follows a comprehensive inquiry ordered by the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) after IndiGo cancelled 2,507 flights and delayed 1,852 others between December 3 and 5, 2025.

Further, the IndiGo CEO, highlighting India’s rapid aviation growth, said that India has surged well beyond pre-COVID levels while much of the world is still recovering.

Marking 20 years of operations, Elbers noted that IndiGo carried 124 million customers in the last year, operates over 2,200 daily flights across 141 destinations with a fleet of 440 aircraft, and has crossed the $10-billion revenue mark.

“…When the other parts of the world are still struggling and are just slightly above the pre-COVID levels, India is now significantly above pre-COVID levels in aviation growth. This year, we turn 20 years young… On 31 December, we closed the year with 124 million customers. That compares with 113 million the previous year… It places us at number 7 or 8 globally by operation size,” Pieter Elbers said.

“2200 daily flights, a total of 141 destinations, a fleet of 440 aircraft, and last year we crossed the threshold of being a $10 billion revenue company… In 2015, Indigo operated flights to only 21 cities nationwide. Today, we’re flying to 96 cities in India itself. That means 90% of the Indian population lives within 100 kilometres of an Indigo-served airport. That in itself as a way to serve the nation,” he said. (ANI)