'IndiGo back on its feet': CEO Pieter Elbers to passengers after nationwide cancellations

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said in a video message to passengers on Tuesday that airline's operations have "stabilised" after almost a week of nationwide disruptions and cancellations that left passengers stranded across major airports, including Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru.

"IndiGo is back on its feet, and our operations are stable. Lakhs of customers have received full refunds, and we continue to process them daily. Most of the bags stuck at airports have been delivered to homes. We are addressing every customer need," Elbers said. 

He said that the airline is conducting an internal review to examine the factors that led to the widespread disruptions. Elbers added that the airline has issued refunds to lakhs of customers and still continues to process them on a daily basis.

“As of yesterday, we are back to flying to all 138 destinations. We continue to work in full cooperation with the government. Internally, we’ve begun reviewing what led to this disruption, the lessons to be learned, and how to emerge stronger," he noted.

Furthermore, he gave a day-to-day lowdown of the number of IndiGo flights that have taken off since December 5. "On December 5th, we could only fly 700 flights. Thereafter, gradually yet steadily improving to 1500 on 6th, 1650 on 7th, 1800 yesterday, and today more than 1800." 

Elbers advised the passengers to check the official IndiGo website for the latest updates. The IndiGo CEO further claimed that the airline's management is getting heartwarming messages from its customers. 

"While there's still customer angst, I would like to also share that we're getting heartwarming messages from our customers, and the people are back to booking on our flight, which is giving us a big encouragement."

Earlier in the day, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ram Mohan Naidu told the Lok Sabha that IndiGo is being held accountable and that refunds are being made for flights cancelled till December 15. He added that the airline has issued refunds worth over ₹750 crore so far, and baggage handling is in the final stages. 

"Operations are stabilising fast, safety remains fully in force, IndiGo is being held accountable, passengers' convenience and dignity are being protected, and long-term measures are underway to make India's aviation sector more passenger-centric," Naidu told the Lok Sabha. 

Moreover, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has asked IndiGo to slash 5 per cent of its winter schedule across sectors, especially on high-demand routes. IndiGo has said in an update that it has fully restored airline operations and that their on-time performance reached 90 per cent across the network.