Government May Move To Oust IndiGo CEO, Mulls Heavy Penalty in Unprecedented Crackdown

The government is preparing to push for the removal of IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers and impose a substantial financial penalty on the airline, as indicated by top officials to NDTV.

The move comes amid nationwide chaos triggered by IndiGo’s mass flight cancellations, which stranded thousands of passengers and crippled airport operations across major cities.

Officials are also considering cutting the number of flights IndiGo is allowed to operate, signalling the toughest action yet against India’s largest airline, as per the officials.

The largest airline in India has cancelled more than 1,500 flights in the past few days after a severe crew shortage and problems tied to new flight duty rules crippled its operations.  

The disruptions left thousands of passengers stranded at major airports, leading to massive backlash against the airline. Long queues at ticket counters, angry passengers, protests at major airports and a viral open letter by employees on the alleged mismanagement by the airline have deepened the IndiGo crisis.

The Ministry of Civil Aviation has taken serious note of concerns regarding unusually high airfares being charged by certain airlines during the ongoing disruption. In order to protect passengers from any form of opportunistic pricing, the Ministry has invoked its regulatory powers to ensure fair and reasonable fares across all affected routes.

The South Central Railway on Saturday also announced that it would run four special trains to manage the surge in passengers resulting from the large-scale cancellation of IndiGo flights in Hyderabad.

This development comes on the back of over 400 flights cancelled in four major airports on Saturday, even as operations slowly resume in various parts of the country.