IndiGo chairman Vikram Singh Mehta issued a video statement on Wednesday to counter the accusations surrounding the airline’s major operational breakdown. He forcefully denied claims that IndiGo “engineered the crisis” or “tried to influence government rules.”

The statement followed IndiGo’s cancellation of thousands of flights since last Tuesday after it failed to meet the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) norms.

Meanwhile, the central government ordered IndiGo to reduce its operations by 10 per cent. In addition, the civil aviation ministry called IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers for a detailed briefing on Thursday.

Mehta Responds to Criticism

Mehta began by acknowledging the backlash. He said, “Over the past week, there has been a lot of criticism, some fair, some not.”

He admitted that the “fair criticism” reflected IndiGo’s failure to serve customers properly. Mehta also said the airline must answer to passengers, regulators, shareholders, and employees.

However, he quickly shifted to the allegations he called false. He said several claims—such as IndiGo creating the crisis, influencing government rules, or risking safety—had no basis. Mehta said, “...there are some allegations that are untrue, that Indigo engineered the crisis, that we tried to influence government rules, that we compromised safety, that the board was not involved.”

Mehta stressed that these charges were “incorrect.” He added, “Indigo has followed the pilot fatigue rules as they came into effect. We operated under the new rules throughout, both in July and in November.”

Mehta Explains the Real Causes

Mehta emphasised that IndiGo did not act deliberately to trigger disruptions. Instead, he pointed to a series of unexpected events that collided at the same time.

He said minor technical issues, winter schedule shifts, poor weather, rising air traffic congestion, and the rollout of updated crew rostering rules all combined to overwhelm operations.

Mehta also dismissed the claim that the Board was inactive. He stated, “The board has been closely involved with this matter for many, many months.”

Message from Vikram Singh Mehta, Chairman and Non-Executive Independent Director of IndiGo pic.twitter.com/sySacxlFq0

— IndiGo (@IndiGo6E) December 10, 2025

IndiGo Says Operations Have Stabilised

Mehta said IndiGo’s Board reacted immediately after disruptions began. It convened an emergency meeting and created a crisis management group.

As a result, IndiGo restored normal operations faster than expected. Mehta said, “Operations are back to normal earlier than expected. Refunds worth several hundred crores have been processed. Hotel and travel assistance have been provided, and the remaining delayed baggage is now being delivered.”

Still, the chaos continued on Wednesday, when IndiGo cancelled nearly 220 flights. Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru recorded the highest cancellations.

Board Brings in External Specialists

Mehta said IndiGo will now bring in outside technical experts to identify the underlying failures and prevent future collapses. He explained, “The board has decided it will involve external technical experts to work with the management and help determine the root causes and ensure corrective action, so that this level of disruption never occurs again.”