Who Is Pieter Elbers? The IndiGo CEO In Spotlight Over Current Crisis
Pieter Elbers is a Dutch airline executive who has been the CEO of IndiGo since 2022 and has over 30 years of industry experience.
The IndiGo crisis has brought the spotlight on Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers, who has been issuing apologies over the flight cancellation controversy.
On Friday, the CEO issued a fresh apology to passengers over the airline's thousands of cancelled flights, which were attributed to crew shortage.
In the three-minute-long video, Elbers noted that the situation is a result of various reasons and assured that normalcy in flight operations will likely return between Dec. 10 and 15. He also said that cancellations are estimated to be less than 1,000 on Saturday.
The airline, which controls 60% of India’s domestic aviation market, has been facing widespread disruption to services since late November. This happened mainly due to its ill-preparedness to deal with the new flight duty norms, implemented by the government to ensure crew safety.
The flight cancellation row escalated since Dec. 2, leading to massive backlash against the airline. Subsequently, Elbers issued a statement, admitting that the airline failed in its promise to provide a good experience to its customers.
Amid the chaos, thousands of passengers at leading Indian airports have been staging protests against the airline as they missed important events, including weddings and funerals.
IndiGo has assured to offer a full refund for cancelled flights and waiver of fees for cancellation or reschedule requests between Dec. 5 and 15. The government has also relaxed some provisions of the new flight duty norms temporarily to allow airlines to stabilise operations.
Aviation Industry Veteran
Pieter Elbers, 55, has been the CEO of IndiGo since 2022. He was earlier associated with KLM Royal Dutch Airlines for nearly three decades. He has over 30 years of experience in aviation.
According to his LinkedIn profile, he served as President and CEO of KLM from October 2014 to July 2022. Prior to that, he was COO from January 2011 to September 2014 and Senior Vice President of Network & Alliances between 2005 and 2010.
He also held international assignments as General Manager in Japan, Greece, and Italy from 1999 to 2005. Earlier, he worked in route network planning from 1995 to 1999 and began his career as a ramp supervisor at Amsterdam's Schiphol airport from 1992 to 1995.
He completed Executive Education at Columbia Business School in 2006. Earlier, he earned a Drs. degree in Business Economics from the Open University between 1993 and 1995.
The seasoned airline business leader also serves on the International Air Transport Association Board of Governors and has been elected as the Chair since June 2024, according to IndiGo’s website.
