The chief executive of India’s largest airline has just resigned with immediate effect, just months after the carrier faced an unprecedented operational meltdown resulting in the cancellation of thousands of flights that left around 300,000 passengers stranded for days on end.
Pieter Elbers, a Dutch national who was previously chief executive at KLM, took on the top job at low-cost behemoth IndiGo in 2022 with grand plans to expand what has largely been a domestic airline into the world of long-haul operations.
The 55-year-old chief executive has, until only recently, been seen as a great fit for leading IndiGo, which, under his watch, has expanded its grip of the domestic airline market to around 64%.
Just a year into the job, Elbers locked in a massive new aircraft order for the fast-growing airline, with a record-breaking order for 500 single-aisle Airbus A320 family aircraft.
In 2024, Elbers cemented its ambitions to create a long-haul network using widebody aircraft after placing a firm order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, which are set to be delivered from 2027 onwards.
In the interim, IndiGo has leased two Boeing 777 widebody aircraft from Turkish Airlines, which are used to serve Istanbul from Delhi and Mumbai, along with several Boeing 787 Dreamliners from Norse to operate its first flights from India to Europe.
But Elber’s reputation took a battering in December 2025 when IndiGo suffered a catastrophic meltdown when new pilot rest rules designed to prevent fatigue were introduced by India’s national civil aviation regulator.
Somehow, despite having been given months to prepare for the new rules, IndiGo was caught off guard, and the airline had to scrap thousands of flights because it didn’t have enough pilots available to operate its planned schedule.
Elbers faced a mountain of criticism over the lack of preparation, and the airline was forced to deny rumors that it had deliberately allowed the meltdown to occur in an attempt to make regulators water down the rules.
On Tuesday, Elbers wrote to IndiGo’s managing director, Rahul Bhatia, to announce his resignation:
“As per our conversation, due to personal reasons, I herewith submit my resignation from the position of CEO of IndiGo with effect from today. I would request that notice period may be waived off,” the letter explained.
“It has been both an honor and privilege to serve as IndiGo’s CEO these past years, since September 2022, and being a part of the great IndiGo family, it’s beautiful growth story and the steps we have made together in this.”
Elbers added: “If the company so desires, obviously, I will be available for any handover or transition otherwise. I would like to thank you personally and IndiGo’s Board for the support extended to me.”
While Elbers is saying the resignation is for “personal reasons,” this hasn’t stopped speculation that he has more or less been forced out over the handling of the new pilot rest rules.
In a statement, IndiGo said Bhatia would assume interim management of the airline until a replacement chief executive is appointed.
The statement added: “The Board of Directors would like to thank Pieter for his contribution and service to the organization, and wishes him well in his future endeavours.”
