India’s largest airline IndiGo is looking for a new chief executive after Pieter Elbers stepped down citing personal reasons. The move comes as the carrier seeks to stabilise operations following last year’s major flight schedule collapse.
BY PC Bureau
March 10, NEW DELHI: In a major leadership shake-up at India’s largest airline, Pieter Elbers has resigned as Chief Executive Officer of IndiGo with immediate effect, months after the carrier faced an unprecedented operational crisis that left thousands of passengers stranded across airports last December.
In a regulatory filing on Tuesday, IndiGo’s parent company InterGlobe Enterprises said airline founder and Managing Director Rahul Bhatia will temporarily assume management of the airline’s affairs until a new chief executive is appointed.
Elbers’ resignation comes in the aftermath of what industry observers described as the airline’s worst schedule disruption in years. In December, a cascading operational breakdown forced the cancellation and delay of hundreds of flights, leaving lakhs of passengers stranded at airports across the country and triggering widespread criticism of the airline’s operational preparedness.
Indigo @IndiGo6E CEO Pieter Elbers resigns. MD Rahul Bhatia to take over. @business_today pic.twitter.com/20E1la79lc
— richa sharma (@richajourno) March 10, 2026
In his resignation letter addressed to Bhatia, Elbers cited personal reasons for stepping down.
“Due to personal reasons, I hereby submit my resignation from the position of CEO of IndiGo with effect from March 10, 2026. I would request that the notice period be waived. If the company so desires, I will of course be available for any handover or transition,” the letter said.
Elbers, a former chief executive of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, took over the helm of IndiGo in September 2022. His appointment came at a critical moment for the airline as it sought to recover from the pandemic downturn and expand aggressively in international markets while consolidating its dominance in India’s domestic aviation sector.
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His departure now places two of India’s largest airlines in the market for new leadership. Alongside IndiGo, the Air India, owned by the Tata Group, is also in the process of searching for a new chief executive as part of its ongoing restructuring and expansion strategy.
Industry analysts say the leadership transition comes at a time when India’s aviation sector is witnessing rapid growth, rising passenger demand, and intense competition among major carriers.
