Air TransportPieter Elbers has stepped down as chief executive officer of IndiGo, India’s largest airline, the company announced on Tuesday, ending a tenure that oversaw a major phase of expansion for the fast-growing carrier.
The airline said Elbers resigned with immediate effect for personal reasons. Rahul Bhatia, managing director of IndiGo parent InterGlobe Aviation and co-founder of the airline, will assume interim leadership until a successor is appointed.
Elbers joined IndiGo in 2022 after nearly three decades at KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, where he rose to become chief executive. During his time in India, he helped guide the airline through a period of rapid growth and strategic repositioning as the carrier prepared to expand beyond its traditional low-cost, short-haul model.
Under his leadership, IndiGo placed some of the largest aircraft orders in aviation history and began laying the groundwork for long-haul operations. The airline plans to introduce widebody aircraft, including the Airbus A350, while also adding long-range narrowbodies such as the A321XLR to support new international routes.
IndiGo already operates the world’s largest order book for the Airbus A320neo family, reflecting its strategy of maintaining a large single-aisle fleet for domestic and regional markets.
Elbers’ departure follows operational challenges late last year when thousands of flights were canceled in December after the airline struggled to adjust schedules to comply with stricter pilot fatigue rules imposed by Indian regulators.
Despite those issues, IndiGo has continued to strengthen its position as the dominant airline in India, the world’s fastest-growing major aviation market. The company has moved to compete with full-service carriers on longer routes as international demand from India expands.
Before joining IndiGo, Elbers spent most of his career at KLM, starting in 1992 and eventually becoming the airline’s president and chief executive in 2014. During his tenure at the Dutch carrier he played a key role in alliance partnerships and network development within the Air France-KLM group.
His resignation leaves IndiGo searching for a new leader at a time when the airline is preparing for one of the most significant transitions in its history as it moves into long-haul operations.
