IndiGo to Appoint External Technical Experts After Major Flight Disruptions: Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta

New Delhi, Dec 2025 : IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta on Thursday announced that the airline’s Board will appoint external technical experts to work alongside the management to determine the root causes behind last week’s massive operational meltdown, which disrupted thousands of passengers across the country.

In a detailed public statement, Mehta said the move is aimed at ensuring that such large-scale disruptions never occur again. He began by issuing a heartfelt apology to passengers affected between December 3 and 5, acknowledging the widespread inconvenience caused.

Mehta noted that thousands were stranded, many of whom missed key personal events, business meetings, medical appointments, and international connections. Delays in returning baggage intensified the frustration.
“We are truly, truly sorry,” he said, admitting that IndiGo failed to meet the expectations of its customers.

He explained that the Board had initially refrained from issuing an early statement because it wanted the management team, led by CEO Pieter Elbers, to stay focused on stabilising operations.
“IndiGo is now operating more than 1,900 flights daily, covering all 138 destinations, and on-time performance has returned to normal,” Mehta said.

Addressing criticism, Mehta described some of it as fair and some as unfounded. The fair criticism, he said, was that the airline had let passengers down. He stressed that IndiGo is committed to thoroughly reviewing what went wrong and will present transparent answers to customers, regulators, shareholders, and employees.

As part of this process, the Board has decided to bring in independent technical experts who will assist in the investigation and propose corrective measures.

Mehta also dismissed circulating allegations that IndiGo had engineered the crisis, attempted to influence government regulations, or compromised safety standards.
“The airline fully complied with the updated pilot fatigue rules and did not attempt to bypass them at any stage,” he clarified.

According to Mehta, the disruptions resulted from a mix of internal challenges and unpredictable external factors, including minor technical glitches, winter schedule adjustments, adverse weather, congestion in the aviation system, and the rollout of new crew rostering rules.

He added that the Board had been monitoring the situation closely, holding an emergency meeting on the first day of disruptions and establishing a Crisis Management Group, which has been meeting daily to supervise recovery efforts.

Mehta confirmed that refunds worth several hundred crores have already been processed, assistance for accommodation and onward travel has been provided, and remaining delayed baggage is currently being delivered to passengers.