India's IndiGo airline CEO resigns months after mass cancellation crisis
Bloomberg via Getty ImagesThe chief executive of India's largest airline IndiGo has resigned, months after a crisis that forced the carrier to cancel thousands of flights.
The airline confirmed Pieter Elbers' departure with immediate effect, saying he stepped down for "personal reasons", without sharing further details.
The move follows intense scrutiny after widespread cancellations linked to new pilot roster rules left passengers stranded across India late last year.
IndiGo controls about two-thirds of the country's domestic aviation market - making disruptions to its operations a major issue for India's fast-growing air travel sector.
The airline operates a fleet of around 440 aircraft and runs mostly domestic services, along with a few international routes to destinations in the Middle East, Europe and Asia.
It has played a significant role in the rapid growth of India's aviation sector, which is one of the fastest-expanding air travel markets in the world.
IndiGo said in a press statement on Tuesday that its co-founder Rahul Bhatia will take charge of the airline in the interim while the company searches for a new chief executive.
In December, IndiGo cancelled about 4,500 flights - the largest disruption in the airline's 20-year history - leaving thousands of passengers stranded at airports across the country.
The disruption followed the introduction of new pilot duty and rest regulations in India designed to reduce fatigue among flight crews.
The airline later acknowledged it had misjudged how many pilots it would need once the rules came into force.
The shortage meant many aircraft could not legally operate, forcing widespread cancellations.
India's aviation regulator later fined IndiGo about $2.45m (£1.82m) and criticised several senior executives, including Elbers, over the handling of the disruption.
In an internal email seen by Reuters news agency, Bhatia referred to the crisis as he informed staff about his interim role. "What happened last December should never have taken place," he wrote, while thanking employees for working during the disruption.
Elbers joined IndiGo in 2022 after a long career in aviation and previously worked at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.
During his tenure, IndiGo placed a major order with Airbus for 500 narrow-body aircraft and additional wide-body planes as part of plans to expand its international network.
