IndiGo defends its board amid mounting criticism: 'Meeting regularly, doing everything possible to restore ops'

IndiGo on Sunday defended its board's role in handling the airline's worst operational meltdown, saying directors have been meeting since the first day of mass cancellations and have formed a Crisis Management Group to oversee the recovery.

The clarification comes amid growing public questions about why a board filled with some of India's most prominent corporate and policy leaders had remained silent while the airline cancelled more than 1,600 flights on Friday and struggled to stabilise its network.

In the statement, the spokesperson said, "The Board of Directors of Interglobe Aviation Limited (IndiGo) met on the first day the problem of cancellations and delayed flights arose. The members received a detailed briefing from the Management on the nature and extent of the crisis."

According to the airline, the initial briefing was followed by a board-only session where directors agreed to set up a Crisis Management Group (CMG). The CMG includes Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta; Board Directors Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker and Amitabh Kant; and CEO Pieter Elbers.

The spokesperson added, "This Group has been meeting regularly to monitor the situation and is being constantly updated by the Management of the measures being undertaken to restore normal operations. In addition, there have been multiple telephonic discussions, including with Directors who are not members of the CMG."

'Doing everything possible' 

IndiGo said the board's focus is on minimising passenger hardship and restoring operations quickly. "The objective of these meetings and exchanges is to address, as quickly as practically possible, the hardships suffered by our customers and other stakeholders while also restoring operational integrity across the airline’s network expeditiously. The Board of Directors is doing everything possible to take care of the challenges faced by our customers and to ensure refunds on cancellation and offer waivers on cancellation/rescheduling during the period of crisis," the spokesperson said.

Why the board is under scrutiny

The statement comes amid rising criticism that the airline's board - widely regarded as one of the strongest in Indian corporate governance - had not publicly responded despite the operational chaos. Some commentators pointed out that IndiGo's directors include founder and group MD Rahul Bhatia, Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, former Air Chief Marshal Birender Singh Dhanoa, former G20 Sherpa Amitabh Kant, corporate lawyer Pallavi Shardul Shroff, former SEBI chief M Damodaran, Michael Gordon Whitaker and Anil Parashar.

With the airline's on-time performance collapsing to 3.7 per cent and cancellations crossing 1,600 on Friday, many questioned whether the board had stepped in to assess the erosion of consumer trust and brand reputation.