Indian regulators held IndiGo\u2019s chief executive accountable for the severe disruptions that have roiled the country\u2019s biggest airline in recent days, faulting the company for \u201csignificant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Director General of Civil Aviation issued a show-cause notice on Saturday demanding CEO Pieter Elbers explain the cancellations that affected almost half of its flights the day before, adding that \u201cyou have failed in your duty to ensure timely arrangements for conduct of reliable operations and the availability of requisite facilities to the passengers.\u201d<\/p>\n
Disruption in IndiGo\u2019s services has made the ongoing crisis one of the country\u2019s worst air disruptions, with the carrier accounting for two-thirds of the domestic market operating about 2,200 flights daily. India has also become the world\u2019s third-largest domestic aviation market, fuelled by a rising middle class that has pushed up demand faster than airlines can grow.<\/p>\n
The disruptions \u2013 attributed to pilot shortages \u2013 began last Tuesday. On Friday, IndiGo had cancelled more than 1,000 flights across India.<\/p>\n
The airline said in a statement on Sunday it is on track to operate more than 1,650 flights where its on-time performance reached 75 per cent. That is up from 1,500 on Saturday, when only 30 per cent of its flights departed as scheduled. There is \u201cgrowing confidence for stabilisation of the network\u201d by Wednesday, moving up an earlier estimate that stretched from December 10 to December 15.<\/p>\n
![\"Indigo](\"https:\/\/img.i-scmp.com\/cdn-cgi\/image\/fit=contain,width=1024,format=auto\/sites\/default\/files\/d8\/images\/canvas\/2025\/12\/07\/4c46559c-3fc3-4dec-ac35-0e8e68be1b91_ce51f4d6.jpg\" "\\"Indigo")
<\/div>The authorities asked Elbers to show cause within 24 hours after its notice \u201cas to why appropriate enforcement action should not be initiated\u201d against him for the violations.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n