'Main Hoon Na': IndiGo Interim Chief's Assurance to Employees After CEO Resigns

New Delhi: Minutes after the resignation of CEO Pieter Elbers, IndiGo Managing Director Rahul Bhatia, who has taken interim charge of the airline's management, wrote to his employees in an internal message, ‘Main hoon na,’ suggesting that he will be around to take care of them.

The assurance seems to be a play on an iconic 2024 Bollywood film, starring Shah Rukh Khan, in which an army officer was entrusted with an undercover mission to combat a terrorist threat.

Speaking about the IndiGo crisis in December 2025, which had brought the country's aviation sector to a standstill for around a week, Bhatia reportedly wrote in the mail, "What happened last December should never have taken place. Our customers didn't deserve it, nor did all of you, especially frontline employees who bore most of the brunt for no fault of theirs." 

"I wish to place on record my indebtedness to all my colleagues who carried the company's cross with grace and dignity and ploughed through sleepless nights to restore operational integrity. You are indeed living spirit of IndiGo," he added in the mail, attributing the message to “Rahul (alias 'Main Hoon Na'),” the name of SRK's character in the movie.

The mail was sent off immediately after IndiGo announced that its board had taken note of Elbers' resignation.

Pieter Elbers' Resignation

On Tuesday, IndiGo informed via an exchange filing that Pieter Elbers, its Chief Executive Officer, will be relieved from service effective close of business hours on March 10, 2026.

In his resignation letter directed to the board of directors at Interglobe Aviation Limited, Elbers noted that the reason behind his move was “personal”.

"I herewith submit my resignation from the position of CEO of IndiGo with effect from today. I would request that notice period may be waived off," Elbers said.

The Aviation Crisis

In January 2026, the Director General of Civil Aviation fined IndiGo over Rs 22 crore for its failure to implement the FTDL norms, that assured longer rest periods for pilots, which triggered the mammoth chaos in December. The country's largest airline was given two years to prepare for implementing these new roster regulations.

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