IndiGo to shore up systems after December operational meltdown

IndiGo will prioritise strengthening its operations and internal systems this year after a major technology failure in December exposed the strains of the Indian budget carrier’s rapid expansion.

“Building resilience in the system and making sure that the massive ops we have today, with 2,200 daily flights, is further solidified” will be a key priority for the airline this year, Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers said in an interview with Bloomberg TV at the Singapore Airshow on Tuesday.

Asia’s largest low-cost airline suffered a severe operational disruption in the first week of December, cancelling about 2,500 flights over three days. The episode triggered intervention by India’s aviation regulator, which imposed a fine and publicly faulted management for the breakdown.


Elbers said the airline has since reassessed its systems following the failure, though he stopped short of detailing specific operational changes implemented so far.

IndiGo has since returned to operating more than 2,200 flights a day, carrying up to 380,000 passengers daily. Capacity in the March quarter is expected to grow by around 10%, Elbers said, supported by steady aircraft deliveries averaging roughly one new plane a week.

The airline has also begun deploying Airbus SE’s A321XLR aircraft, which allows it to operate longer-haul routes using a single-aisle jet. After launching flights to Athens from Delhi and Mumbai last month, IndiGo plans to add Istanbul as the next destination served by the aircraft, Elbers said. (With inputs from Bloomberg)