When IndiGo’s flights were getting canceled in droves, where was the company’s CEO? Big revelation in whistleblower letter

New Delhi: The country’s flagship airline IndiGo is currently facing one of the most serious operational crises in its history. This crisis is no longer limited to just the cancellation of flights, but has taken the form of a major corporate dispute. Passengers faced a lot of trouble due to the cancellation of hundreds of flights in the last one week.

Meanwhile, a letter from an anonymous whistleblower is becoming increasingly viral on social media, in which serious allegations have been made against the top management of the company and CEO Peter Elbers has been held directly responsible. The writer of the letter has described himself as an employee of Indigo.

pressure on employees

The letter claims that IndiGo’s current crisis did not come suddenly, but is the result of years of wrong management decisions and increasing workload on employees.

The letter said that the employees have to work under the roster duty system which creates fatigue and stress and there is an atmosphere of fear in the workplace. Employees have crossed their physical and mental limits many times, but the management did not pay serious attention to this. However, the author of the letter has not presented any concrete document in support of his identity, position or allegations.

An open letter from @IndiGo6E pilots to people of India. pic.twitter.com/AXtvkHu6D3

— AWCS (@AeroAwcs) December 6, 2025

Accusations against CEO and senior officials

The letter holds CEO Peter Albers and senior executives Isidor Porcarus, Asim Mitra and Jason Hurter responsible for the crisis. It is alleged that when the crisis started, the CEO was vacationing in the Netherlands. The letter also claimed that the airline no longer treats its passengers as customers but as a “burden”. Supporting this, it was written in the letter that if the passengers are considered as customers, then they will understand the rights of the airline.

Demands made to the government

The letter demands that minimum wages be fixed for ground staff, adequate staffing be made mandatory for each aircraft and employee representatives be included in the review of rules related to employee fatigue. The letter also said that the race for uncontrolled expansion and cost control over the years has weakened the airline’s safety systems.

DGCA notice and regulatory pressure

The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has already issued a show cause notice to IndiGo. DGCA has alleged serious lapses in planning, monitoring and management of resources and has sought answers from CEO Peter Elbers. This action of the regulator has increased additional pressure on the airline.

Regulatory changes behind the crisis

Internal mismanagement is being said to be one reason for the crisis, but recent regulatory changes are also the reasons for deepening it. DGCA has tightened the Flight Duty Time Limitation (FDTL) rules, especially for crews performing continuous night flying. After the implementation of these new rules, the availability of pilots and cabin crew suddenly reduced, which exposed the real preparedness of IndiGo. This is an indication that the airline was already facing severe staff shortage.