IndiGo CEO resigns, months after mass flight cancellations

IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers on Tuesday stepped down from his role, three months after a mass cancellation of the airline’s flights.

Elbers cited personal reasons in his resignation letter, a copy of which was shared by the airline in a stock exchange filing. He had served in the role since September 2022.

Managing Director Rahul Bhatia will take over interim duties of supervising the airline until a replacement is hired, the company said in a press statement.

Bhatia’s InterGlobe Enterprises has a 35.6% stake in the airline’s parent company, InterGlobe Aviation, making it the largest shareholder.

In an internal email to employees on Tuesday, Bhatia said that “what happened last December should never have taken place”, NDTV reported.

“I wish to place on record my indebtedness to all my colleagues who carried the company’s cross with grace and dignity and ploughed through sleepless nights to restore operational integrity,” the news outlet quoted him as saying.

Between December 3 and December 5, IndiGo cancelled more than 2,500 flights and delayed over 1,850 others, affecting more than three lakh passengers. The disruption, which continued for several days, pushed fares to unusually high rates on several routes.

The disruption came amid the rollout of stricter work hour norms introduced in November.

The revised rostering norms, issued by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation in January 2024 after...

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