India’s largest domestic carrier, IndiGo, on Wednesday highlighted that despite the breakdown of its flight operations due to pilot issues at the start of December 2025, the airline has not lost the trust of passengers and had recovered operations to carry around 3.9 lakh passengers on Christmas day.
“Following our operational reset by December 5th, IndiGo has managed to show our customers that we are as reliable as before, and we were carrying around 3.4 lakh daily passengers by the end of December, which peaked at 3.9 lakh passengers on December 25,” IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Pieter Elbers said on Wednesday.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Wings India 2026 aviation summit in Hyderabad, Elbers added that IndiGo’s recovery from its December operational crisis was much faster when compared to other global aviation players of its size.
He added that despite the quick recovery, the airline understands the impact of flight disruptions on the lives of passengers and added that IndiGo is confident in its operations going forward.
Ambitious Future Goals
Elbers added that IndiGo is targeting more than 4,000 daily flights, including domestic services, by 2030. The carrier is also looking to carry 200 million passengers by the end of the decade.
IndiGo currently has a fleet of 440 aircraft and operates over 2,200 flights daily. In 2025, the airline carried 124 million passengers.
The InterGloble Aviation-owned airline plans to induct 39 Airbus A321XLR aircraft, of which 9 will be delivered in calendar year 2026, as India’s largest airline presses ahead with aggressive expansion plans to meet rising domestic and international travel demand
IndiGo plans to add 52 to 56 aircraft in 2026, similar to the 55 planes it expects to bring in during 2025, depending on delivery schedules. These new aircraft will help the airline grow its long-haul and one-stop international services while continuing to focus on its domestic operations. By 2030, IndiGo aims for international routes to represent 40% of its total network, an increase from current levels.
Elbers added that air travel penetration in India has grown from about 2% in 2006 to 7–8% now, but this is still lower than the global average. He added that there is a lot of potential for further growth, and IndiGo predicts that travel penetration could increase to around 15% as incomes rise and connectivity improves.
Elber also noted that the trade agreement between India and the EU is likely to increase economic activity and demand for international flights.
Rebuilding Customer Trust
Addressing the operational disruptions in December, IndiGo CEO Elbers again apologized to customers and acknowledged the airline’s responsibility. “We let our customers down,” he stated, noting that IndiGo made significant changes to stabilize its network quickly.
Elbers emphasized that three days of disruption do not reflect the airline’s achievements over the past 20 years. He highlighted the commitment of IndiGo’s 68,000 employees to learn from this experience and rebuild customer trust.
He recognized the challenges faced by customers, employees, investors, and stakeholders, and noted that the quick recovery showed the strength and potential of the airline