Pieter Elbers resigned as CEO of IndiGo, India’s largest airline, effective March 10, 2026, citing personal reasons in a letter to Managing Director Rahul Bhatia. He waived his notice period and described his tenure since September 2022 as an honor, contributing to the carrier’s growth story.
Elbers, former KLM CEO, oversaw fleet expansion to over 400 aircraft and maintained IndiGo’s 63% domestic market share. His five-year contract, set to end in 2027, ended 18 months early amid scrutiny following the airline’s worst operational crisis in December 2025.
Between December 2 and 9, 2025, IndiGo cancelled over 4,500 flights, with on-time performance dropping to 8.5% on its worst day. Reports cite 2,500 cancellations and 1,900 delays from December 3-5, stranding over 300,000 passengers during peak holiday and wedding seasons. New Flight Duty Time Limitation rules effective November 1, 2025, exposed issues with crew rostering optimized for maximum utilization, leaving no buffer for disruptions.
The Directorate General of Civil Aviation imposed a ₹22.2 crore penalty on IndiGo for non-compliance with pilot fatigue norms. Elbers publicly acknowledged the failure but faced calls for resignation. Bhatia, airline co-founder, assumed interim CEO duties, stating in an internal email that December’s events should never recur and reaffirming commitment to customers and employees.
The board will search for a permanent successor as IndiGo addresses operational resilience under intensified regulatory oversight.