IndiGo faced widespread disruption across major Indian airports. Thousands of flights were delayed or cancelled. As a result, passengers faced long waits, uncertainty and missed connections.

In a video message released on Friday, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers addressed the chaos. He accepted responsibility and spoke directly to customers.

“Given the size, scale and complexity of our operations, it will take some time to return to a full normal situation, which we anticipate between 10 and 15 December,” he said in the video.

Friday was the worst-hit day

According to Elbers, Friday, December 5, saw the highest number of disruptions. Flight cancellations crossed the 1,000 mark.

He apologised on behalf of the airline.
“I, on behalf of all of us at IndiGo, would like to extend our sincerest apologies for the major inconvenience this has caused to many of our customers on account of delays or cancellations,” he said.

As a result, IndiGo warned that issues may continue for a few more days. However, the airline expects fewer cancellations on Saturday. The figure is likely to stay below 1,000.

IndiGo shares three steps to fix the crisis

To manage the situation, the airline has taken three main actions. First, IndiGo increased passenger communication. It sent messages through social media and direct channels. These messages included details on refunds, cancelled flights and support measures. At the same time, the airline increased the capacity of its call centres.

“Firstly, Customer communication and addressing your needs. For this, messages have been sent on social media and just now a more detailed communication with information on refunds, cancellations and other customer support measures was sent. Also, we have stepped up our call center capacity.”

Second, IndiGo focused on passengers stranded at major airports. The airline worked to get them on flights the same day. In addition, customers were asked not to travel to the airport if their flight was cancelled, as they would receive notifications directly.

“Secondly, due to yesterday’s situation we had customers stranded mostly at the nation’s largest airports. Our focus was, for all of them to travel today itself, which will be achieved. For this, we also ask customers whose flights are cancelled not to come to airports as notifications are sent on this.”

Third, the airline cancelled selected flights on purpose. This move helped align aircraft and crew for upcoming schedules. It also allowed operations to restart in a more organised way.

“Thirdly, cancellations were made for today as to align our crew and planes to be where they need to start afresh tomorrow morning.”

Staff works to restore passenger trust

Elbers said the entire IndiGo team is working without pause. Ground staff and frontline workers are managing the pressure at airports across the country.

“I do understand that these disruptions have caused much discomfort to our customers and has shaken their belief in IndiGo’s reliability carefully build over past 19 years. My colleagues, all the great IndiGo teams and frontline staff have been working relentlessly to address this situation.”

He assured passengers that the airline is trying to rebuild confidence step by step.

“Rest assured, we are doing everything in our control to not only restore your trust and belief, but strengthen it further over time,” he said.

What passengers should expect next

Operations will not return to normal overnight. However, IndiGo now has a clear timeline in place. The airline expects stability to return between December 10 and December 15.

Until then, passengers are advised to check updates regularly and follow official communication from the airline.