IndiGo Chairman Trashes Charge Of Intentionally Planning Operational Meltdown

IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, in a statement issued on Wednesday, dismissed the charge of intentionally planning the chaos to bypass the Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms.

"The disruptions of last week did not happen because of any deliberate action," Mehta said. They happened because a combination of internal and unanticipated external events, which "pushed our systems beyond their limits".

The external events include minor technical glitches, scheduled changes linked to the start of the winter season, adverse weather conditions, increased congestion in the aviation system, and implementation of the revised Flight Duty Time Limit norms, he explained.

Mehta rejected allegations that IndiGo engineered the crisis, influenced government rules, compromised safety, or lacked board involvement, calling them false. He stressed that the board was fully engaged, holding an emergency meeting on the first day of disruptions and setting up a crisis management group that met daily.

“Our collective focus was to restore operations, support passengers, communicate transparently, and prevent recurrence,” he said. Calling the episode a “blemish” on IndiGo’s clean record, Mehta said rebuilding trust will be a journey based on actions, not words.

“As chairman, I apologise without conditions or excuses. We reaffirm our commitment to safety and reliability and promise to emerge stronger,” he concluded.

Mehta acknowledged that thousands of passengers were stranded on Dec. 3, 4, and 5 due to an “unexpected chain of events” that led to widespread cancellations, delayed baggage, and missed family, business, and medical commitments.

"IndiGo has followed the pilot fatigue (FDTL) rules as they came into effect. We operated under the new rules throughout… both in July and November. We did not attempt to bypass them. Nor did we do anything that negatively impacted our unblemished track record of safety," he said.

The IndiGo chairman noted that the airline's board has decided to involve an "external technical expert" to help determine the root causes behind the operational crisis, and ensure corrective action.

“We are truly sorry,” he said, adding that the board’s immediate priority was to support chief executive officer Pieter Elbers and his team in restoring operations and assisting affected passengers.

IndiGo’s operations have now stabilised, Mehta pointed, citing the IndiGo CEO's announcement earlier in the day. Over 1,900 flights are operating, all 138 destinations connected and on-time performance rate has improved to normal-high levels, he reiterated.

"Over the past week, there has been a lot of criticism—some fair, some not. The fair criticism is that the airline let you down. We owe answers to our customers , to our government, to our shareholders and equally importantly to our employees," he said.

The chairman assured stakeholders that the airline will examine every aspect of what went wrong and learn from it. The board has decided to involve an external technical expert to work with management to determine root causes and implement corrective measures.