An explosive but unverified open letter purportedly written by IndiGo pilots has ignited a firestorm across social media, accusing the airline's top brass including CEO Pieter Elbers of leading India's largest airline into what it calls a slow, inevitable“downfall.”

Addressed to“fellow citizens” and IndiGo's leadership, the scathing letter urges the company to“look within,” naming at least eight senior officials allegedly responsible for the operational collapse that has crippled major airports nationwide over the past two days. Claiming to be an“insider” choosing anonymity, the writer insists that employees had watched the crisis“years in the making,” stressing that the airline“didn't collapse in a day.”

The letter posted on X reads,“Open Letter to My Fellow Citizens, and to the Management of IndiGo, I am writing this not as a spokesperson, not as someone hiding behind corporate language, but as an IndiGo employee who has lived through every shift, every sleepless night, every humiliation, every squeezed pay cheque, and every impossible roster”. The writer continues,“And I am writing this as an Indian, because the state of this airline is no longer just an internal issue-it affects millions of people in this country... Nothing Happened Overnight – We All Saw It Coming, IndiGo didn't collapse in a day. This downfall was years in the making."

An open letter from @IndiGo6E pilots to people of India. twitter/AXtvkHu6D3

- AWCS (@AeroAwcs) December 6, 2025

The scathing note sharply criticizes IndiGo for allegedly resisting DGCA's revised weekly-rest rules for pilots. The letter alleged that airline hollowed out from within - from alleged arrogance in management ranks and promotions of underqualified executives, to an increasingly toxic work environment where warnings on safety and staff exhaustion were reportedly met with intimidation. It alleges brutal overworking of pilots, ground staff, and engineers, worsened by shrinking benefits and stagnant compensation.

'We all saw it coming'

Tracing IndiGo's journey since its inception in 2006, the open letter highlighted how an airline once celebrated for excellence descended into chaos as“growth turned into greed" and“pride turned into arrogance.”

It highlighted alleged dangerous mindset that IndiGo was“too big to fail,” leading to what it calls“the real rot” - a culture where“titles became more important than talent,” paving the way for incompetent leadership.

“Pilots raised concerns about fatigue and unsafe duty timings. Instead of being heard, some were called to the head office, intimidated, shouted at, and humiliated. No consequences. No accountability. Just fear.” It adds that leave cuts, doubled night duties, and erratic scheduling came without“a single extra rupee” to compensate for the mounting physical and mental toll.

According to the letter, employee grievances were often dismissed with hostile lines such as“You're lucky to have a job” or“Beggars can't be choosers.” The writer also alleges that IndiGo stopped calling flyers“passengers” and switched to“customers” to avoid giving them“a sense of ownership.”

Letter names top brass responsible for IndiGo mess

The letter names eight senior officials for alleged spiral including CEO Pieter Elbers, who it criticizes for“holidaying at his native Netherlands when this wildfire happened.” The others include Jason Herter, Aditi Kumari, Tapas Dey, Rahul Patil, Isidore Porqueras, Ashim Mitra, and Akshay Mohan.

The open letter concluded with an appeal to the central government, urging intervention through minimum wage laws for ground staff, mandated manpower ratios per aircraft, and revised fatigue rules with worker representation.

IndiGo flights crisis

IndiGo responded on Sunday, announcing that its board has instituted a high-powered Crisis Management Group (CMG) to take control of the situation after days of mass delays and cancellations. Formed during an emergency board meeting, the CMG comprises chairman Vikram Singh Mehta, board directors Gregg Saretsky, Mike Whitaker, Amitabh Kant, and CEO Pieter Elbers. The group has been holding continuous review sessions to stabilise operations, with even non-CMG directors participating in telephonic briefings.

Meanwhile, DGCA has issued a show-cause notice to Pieter Elbers, holding IndiGo accountable for“significant lapses in planning, oversight and resource management.” The regulator has given him 24 hours to explain why punitive action should not be taken.

The aviation sector has been reeling since last week due to major disruptions, flight cancellations, severe delays, and widespread rescheduling, triggered by a sudden pilot and crew shortage following DGCA's implementation of revised Flight Duty Time Limit (FDTL) norms.

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