Indigo Flight Cancellations: Normalcy Restored At Airports; Govt Sends Notice To CEO Pieter Elbers

The government on Saturday sent a show cause notice to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers. In a letter accessed by NDTV Profit, a senior official at the Directorate General of Civil Aviation said Elbers is responsible, as CEO, for ensuring effective management of the airlines.

"You are hereby directed to show cause within 24 hours of receipt of this notice as to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated against you under the relevant provisions of the Aircraft Rules and Civil Aviation requirements for the above mentioned violations. Failure to submit your reply within the stipulated period shall result in the matter being decided ex parte.

"Normalcy is being gradually restored at the airports across the country. All necessary facilities are provided to passengers. Check-in and check-out are happening smoothly," the government said Saturday night.

Earlier, IndiGo said it has re-established 95% of its network connectivity in terms of destinations. The carrier operated to 135 out of the 138 destinations on Saturday and is on course to operate over 1,500 flights by the end of the day, the airline said in a statement.

India largest airline had 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.  

"On our way to operate over 1500 flights by end of day. Over 95% of network connectivity has already been re-established. We are able to operate to 135 out of the existing 138 destinations. We had cancelled a significant number of flights and operated little above 700 flights yesterday. The main objective was to reboot the network, systems & rosters. There are some early signs of improvement. We understand that we have a long way to go and committed to build back the trust of our customers," IndiGo said.

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.

Here's IndiGo's new statement Saturday evening:

"Today the number of cancellations has dropped below 850 flights, much lower compared to yesterday. IndiGo is working determinedly to bring its operations back on track across the network. Our teams are focused on stabilising schedules, reducing delays, & supporting customers through this period. We’re continuing to work towards reducing this number progressively over the next few days. We are addressing all customer refunds on priority. We are also working closely with all airports and partners to ensure timely updates are provided to customers."