'₹16,000–₹18,000 pay and work of three people’: Viral letter alleges IndiGo crisis was years in the making

A week of mass flight cancellations has now morphed into a damaging narrative battle for IndiGo, after an anonymous letter alleging deep-rooted mismanagement began circulating widely online written by, as claimed, a long-time employee.

The unverified note accuses the airline’s top leadership of allowing a “years-in-the-making” operational collapse through intimidation, poor judgment and chronic understaffing.

An open letter from @IndiGo6E pilots to people of India. https://t.co/yBr64JXXS7 pic.twitter.com/AXtvkHu6D3

— AWCS (@AeroAwcs) December 6, 2025

Addressed to “fellow citizens” and the airline’s management, the letter alleges that IndiGo’s internal rot runs far deeper than a single week of disruption. Among the most striking claims is that ground staff, some earning ₹16,000–₹18,000 a month, were often left doing “the work of three people,” running between aircraft without adequate manpower or relief.

The author accuses senior leadership of ignoring repeated warnings from pilots about fatigue and safety risks. Pilots who raised concerns, the letter claims, were “called to head office, intimidated, shouted at and humiliated,” even as night duties were doubled and leaves curtailed without compensation for the physical and mental toll.

The note names eight senior officials, including CEO Pieter Elbers and heads of key operational verticals, as responsible for the present meltdown. It criticises Elbers for being on holiday in the Netherlands during the crisis and alleges that several unqualified executives were promoted into influential roles, contributing to a culture where fear replaced accountability.

Though the letter does not attach evidence or reveal the author’s identity or designation, it paints a picture of an airline stretched thin across multiple departments. It also criticises what it describes as a deliberate shift in attitude toward customers, claiming IndiGo’s leadership believed calling them “passengers” would make them feel like they “own the airline.”

The concluding portion of the letter urges government intervention, calling for minimum wages for ground staff, mandatory staffing ratios per aircraft and fatigue-rule reforms that include employee representation. These demands expand the letter’s scope beyond internal management issues to broader aviation-sector norms.

IndiGo has not commented on the contents of the letter and its authenticity remains unverified.