The Chairman explained that he had delayed making a public statement until the airline achieved operational stability. “The board and I felt our first duty was to support the CEO, Peter Elbers, and his team in restoring operations and helping passengers,” he said.

According to Mehta, IndiGo has now stabilised operations, with over 1,900 flights operating daily across 138 destinations. The airline’s on-time performance has returned to pre-crisis levels.

“An apology cannot make up for the missed events or stress many of you have experienced,” Mehta said. “We did not meet your expectations during those days, and for that, we are truly sorry.”

The IndiGo Board will now engage external technical experts to assist management in identifying the root causes of the disruption and to ensure corrective action is implemented.

“We owe answers to our customers, government, shareholders and employees,” Mehta said. “The board will ensure that this level of disruption never occurs again.”

He also emphasised that the board had been fully engaged since the onset of the disruptions, holding emergency meetings and setting up a crisis management group. “The claim that the board was not engaged is incorrect,” he clarified.

Mehta said refunds worth several hundred crores had been processed and that assistance for stranded passengers—including hotel stays and travel arrangements—was provided. Delayed baggage was in the final stages of being delivered.