'We will examine every aspect of what went wrong...': IndiGo Board chairman says external body to probe flight chaos

IndiGo will bring in an external technical expert to work alongside its management and board as the airline begins a comprehensive investigation into the operational collapse that triggered mass cancellations and delays earlier this month. The move marks the start of a formal review aimed at identifying what went wrong and how similar disruptions can be prevented.

In a video message on Wednesday, Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta said the review would cover every component of the airline’s operations during the crisis, from planning and crew management to technical readiness. He stressed that the findings would directly inform corrective measures.

“We assure you that we will examine every aspect of what went wrong, and we will learn from it,” Mehta said. “The Board has decided it will involve an external technical expert to work with the management and help determine the root causes and ensure corrective action, so that this level of disruption never occurs again.”

Following major disruptions on December 3, 4 and 5, Mehta said the airline is now operating more than 1,900 flights across all 138 destinations, with on-time performance back to normal.

Mehta also issued a personal apology to passengers impacted by the widespread cancellations, acknowledging the upset caused by missed family functions, work commitments and connecting flights abroad. “I want to say, very simply and very clearly—we are sorry,” he said. “We did not meet your expectations during those days. And for that, we are truly sorry.”

The chairman noted that thousands of passengers were stranded across airports and faced delays in receiving their baggage, some of which was misplaced or rerouted during the chaos. He said he was aware that many had demanded a public response from him sooner, but explained that the board believed its first responsibility was to support CEO Pieter Elbers and his team as they attempted to stabilise operations in real time.

“With this stability achieved, I feel this is the right time for me to speak,” Mehta added, reiterating that IndiGo’s leadership is committed to restoring trust and implementing systemic changes to avoid a repeat of the crisis.

Mehta also tackled the wave of criticism and speculation surrounding the meltdown, noting that several claims circulating online were exaggerated or simply untrue. “There has been a lot of criticism—some fair, some not,” he said. “The fair criticism is that the airline let you down.”

He clarified that allegations suggesting IndiGo engineered the crisis, tried to influence government regulations, compromised safety, or kept its board in the dark were baseless. “These claims are incorrect,” he said.

Addressing questions over compliance with the revised pilot fatigue and duty time limits, Mehta insisted the airline fully adhered to the updated FDTL norms. “IndiGo has followed the pilot fatigue rules as they came into effect. We operated under the new rules throughout—both in July and November. We did not attempt to bypass them, nor did we do anything that harmed our unblemished safety record.”

He explained that the breakdown stemmed from “a combination of internal and unanticipated external events,” including minor technical issues, seasonal schedule changes linked to the onset of winter, adverse weather, rising congestion across the aviation system, and the shift to updated crew rostering rules.

Calling the episode “a blemish on the airline’s pristine-clean record,” Mehta said the focus must now be on restoring trust. “This will not be easy,” he cautioned. “It will depend on actions, not words. It will be a journey.”

On the operations side, IndiGo has submitted its revised flight schedule to aviation regulator DGCA after the government ordered the airline to cut its winter schedule by 10 per cent. The DGCA had directed IndiGo to file the updated schedule by 5 pm on Wednesday. “IndiGo has submitted the revised winter schedule to the DGCA as per its Tuesday order,” PTI reported, quoting a source.