IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers Steps Down, Rahul Bhatia Takes Interim Charge
India’s largest airline begins leadership transition as former KLM chief exits after leading record fleet expansion.
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InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the parent company of IndiGo, said Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers has stepped down with immediate effect for “personal reasons,” according to an exchange filing by the airline.
The carrier said Managing Director Rahul Bhatia will assume interim management of the airline until a new chief executive is appointed.
Elbers, a former chief executive of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, joined IndiGo in September 2022 to lead the low-cost carrier during a period of rapid expansion.
In his resignation letter addressed to Bhatia, Elbers said he would step down as CEO effective 10 March and requested that his notice period be waived, adding that he would be available to assist with the transition if required.
IndiGo’s board thanked Elbers for his contribution to the airline and wished him well in his future endeavours.
“Rahul returns to assume management of the affairs of the airline to strengthen the company’s culture, reinforce operational excellence and deepen its commitment to delivering exceptional service of care, reliability and professionalism to its customers,” IndiGo Chairman Vikram Singh Mehta said in a statement.
Bhatia, one of IndiGo’s founders, said he felt a “deep sense of personal commitment and responsibility” toward the airline’s customers, employees, shareholders and other stakeholders as he steps in to oversee operations.
IndiGo is India’s largest airline, controlling roughly two-thirds of the domestic aviation market.
The carrier operates a fleet of more than 400 aircraft and runs more than 2,200 daily flights across over 95 domestic and about 40 international destinations, carrying more than 120 million passengers in 2025.
During Elbers’ tenure, the airline placed one of the largest aircraft orders in aviation history, including a record purchase agreement for 500 Airbus A320-family aircraft as it accelerated fleet expansion and strengthened its dominance in India’s fast-growing aviation market.
