As new CEO takes over at Indigo, 54% fliers surveyed say the airline has a customer service issue

August 7, 2026, New Delhi: IndiGo, operated by InterGlobe Aviation, remains India’s largest airline by market share and one of the most prominent low-cost carriers globally. The airline’s reputation has long been anchored in affordability, expansive route networks, and historically strong operational performance. It is also at a leadership inflection point: William “Willie” Walsh, former chief executive of Aer Lingus, British Airways and International Airlines Group and until July 31, 2026 Director General of IATA, took charge as IndiGo’s Chief Executive Officer on August 3, 2026, succeeding Pieter Elbers, who resigned in March 2026 after the December 2025 scheduling crisis.

In the nearly six months since LocalCircles last reported on IndiGo, the airline’s consumer record has moved in two directions at once. Operationally, the recovery has been real and measurable, with punctuality restored through the first half of 2026 and the airline expanding its domestic market share to a record 66.3% in June 2026, carrying 89.2 lakh passengers that month even as overall domestic traffic fell to about 1.34 crore.

On the compliance and consumer-protection side, however, the scrutiny has not eased, and passenger-facing service gaps continue to surface. Through the first half of 2026, fliers have publicly reported IndiGo check-in and departure control system outages that left passengers queuing for close to two hours, rescheduling that stretched a 16-hour journey to nearly 30 hours without meals or accommodation, steep fare escalation on rebooked itineraries, and refund credit delays serious enough for the Ministry of Civil Aviation to direct the airline to clear all pending refunds without delay. Food safety and meal-loading complaints persist, as does the absence of any seat-back entertainment or in-flight connectivity on the mainline fleet.

Independent aviation data continues to show that IndiGo often ranks among the top punctual airlines in the Asia-Pacific region, based on on-time arrivals over much of 2025. This reflects robust operational planning outside isolated crisis periods and underscores its capability to handle high flight volumes with efficiency.

Despite these strengths, recent years have spotlighted growing dissatisfaction in customer experience ratings. Some global surveys have placed IndiGo low in overall airline rankings. An AirHelp score report in late 2024 placed IndiGo near the bottom of global airline lists, a result the airline disputed on methodology grounds.

The December 2025 scheduling crisis brought these challenges into sharp public focus. During this period, IndiGo cancelled thousands of flights, leaving tens of thousands of passengers stranded and leading to regulatory scrutiny by India’s Competition Commission and fines from aviation authorities. Authorities highlighted operational gaps, particularly in crew scheduling and adapting to new flight-duty regulations. This disruption not only eroded passenger confidence in operational reliability but also contributed to a notable drop in domestic travel figures in December, affecting the airline’s traffic volumes. The consequences carried into 2026. DGCA fined IndiGo Rs 22.2 crore in January 2026, mandated a Rs 50 crore bank guarantee and a 15-month reform oversight period, and issued a show-cause notice to the then Chief Executive Officer, who resigned in March 2026. A LocalCircles survey in January 2026 found that 61% of airline travellers believed the penalty imposed was not sufficient.

Beyond punctuality and cancellations, customer complaints have grown around communication practices, refund handling, and digital service issues during disruptions, with some surveys reporting “dark pattern” experiences in booking and refund interfaces that added to customer frustration. Refund handling in particular drew direct government intervention, with the Ministry of Civil Aviation ordering IndiGo to clear all pending passenger refunds and warning that any delay or non-compliance would invite immediate regulatory action; the airline subsequently confirmed to DGCA that refunds for the December 3–5, 2025 cancellations had been processed to the original source of payment.

IndiGo continues to leverage its large network, cost efficiency, and strong route coverage, its customer satisfaction ratings have been under pressure due to operational reliability issues, service inconsistencies, and crisis management shortcomings. Ongoing efforts to stabilize operations, improve staff engagement, and enhance transparency will be vital for the airline to protect its top ranking in an increasingly competitive market.

In 2025–26, Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) safety audits flagged a total of 263 safety-related lapses across Indian airlines in mid-2025, out of which IndiGo recorded 23 lapses in audits aligned with international standards. Government data shows that multiple airlines, including Indigo reported aircraft defects up to mid-2025. IndiGo’s crash-related scrutiny in late 2025 came mainly from operational disruptions rather than gross technical failures flagged by DGCA audits.

Though supported by a younger, standardized fleet, in 2025, Indigo saw notable stress during large-scale schedule disruptions caused by crew shortages and regulatory duty-time compliance, temporarily impacting punctuality and customer satisfaction.

LocalCircles survey in 2025 found that about 54% of respondents cited flight delays or punctuality problems, with a similar share indicating dissatisfaction with staff attitude and the courtesy of airline personnel. Other concerns included baggage handling, transparency of information, and customer service responsiveness.

In a new survey, LocalCircles has strived to find out where things with Indigo operations have improved or deteriorated from fliers’ viewpoint. The survey received over 18,000 responses from Indigo passengers located in over 313 districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 42% respondents were from tier 1, 28% from tier 2 and 30% respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 & rural districts.

5 in 10 who traveled by Indigo confirmed experiencing issues with customer service in the last 12 months; Over 3 in 10 also had an issue with food quality, timeliness, staff attitude, information timeliness & transparency

Seeking Indigo passengers’ views on different yardsticks, the survey asked, “What are some of the issues you have experienced when flying Indigo in the last 12 months?” Some out of 18,402 who responded to the question indicated more than one issue. The largest group of 54% indicated “customer service”; 40% of respondents indicated “food quality”; 37% of respondents indicated "timeliness”; 32% of respondents indicated "staff attitude and courteousness”; 32% of respondents indicated "information, timeliness and transparency”; 28% of respondents indicated “entertainment system”; 18% of respondents indicated “baggage handling”; 9% of respondents indicated "quality and maintenance of aircraft”; and 9% of respondents indicated "other issues” not mentioned above.

DGCA operational data show that IndiGo’s timeliness has recovered substantially since December 2025, when on-time performance collapsed to a record low of 8.5% amid crew scheduling failures and difficulties in complying with revised flight duty-time norms. OTP was back to roughly 67.7% by early February 2026 and continued to improve through the year: IndiGo topped domestic punctuality at 82.8% in May 2026, recorded about 89.4% on-time performance across the ten busiest airports in June 2026, and re-entered the top ten most punctual Asia-Pacific carriers in Cirium’s June 2026 report. The survey finding of timeliness complaints falling from 54% to 37% is consistent with this operational recovery.

In DGCA’s latest monthly data for June 2026, domestic airlines received 2,568 passenger complaints, equivalent to 1.91 complaints per 10,000 passengers carried. IndiGo recorded 1.0 complaint per 10,000 passengers against 3.2 for the Air India group. Baggage-related issues formed the largest category at 27.8% of all complaints, followed by flight-related problems at 24.3%, refunds at 19.7% and customer service at 5.4%. DGCA reported that all complaints received during the month were resolved. During December 2025 IndiGo disruptions, many passengers reported poor communication, refund delays, and inadequate assistance — criticisms which have been factored into DGCA and CCI inquiries. AirSewa remains the principal formal escalation route, auto-forwarding grievances to the airline’s nodal officer with a copy to DGCA under a 30-day service level, though resolution commonly takes three to six weeks in practice. The Passenger Assistance Control Room set up after the December 2025 disruptions has resolved over 73,000 grievances at a 98% success rate since December 10, 2025, and the Ministry of Civil Aviation is upgrading the AirSewa portal with artificial intelligence to speed up redressal.

LocalCircles survey data shows that sizable reduction has been observed in Indigo fliers who have an issue with the leading Indian carrier’s timeliness in 2026 when 37% of those surveyed had issues as compared to 54% who complained in the previous year.

On the issue of staff attitude and courteousness, sizeable reduction complaints from Indigo fliers have been noted by LocalCircles survey as it dipped from 54% in 2025 to 32% currently. Reportage through 2026 has been mixed. Favourable accounts of crew going out of their way for passengers have circulated alongside public criticism of crew and ground staff handling during multi-hour delays, suggesting the improvement is real but degrades sharply when operations are disrupted.

On the customer service front, the survey notes an increase in Indigo fliers who had an issue this year as it has risen to 54% as compared to 32% in 2025. This 22 percentage point deterioration is the sharpest recorded in the survey, and it is consistent with the customer-facing failures reported through 2026 — a systems outage that left passengers queuing for nearly two hours before baggage acceptance was closed, rebooking without meals or accommodation on a layover that ran to 15 hours, refund credit delays that required a Ministry of Civil Aviation directive, and heavy reliance on chatbot-first support through the 6Eskai assistant rather than accessible human resolution.

Choice of food served on board is another issue that more Indigo fliers have expressed disappointment with as 54% have indicated it as compared to 23% in 2025. Consumer accounts through 2026 point to quality control rather than menu design as the core problem: food safety incidents including foreign matter found in an onboard sandwich, pre-booked meal options not being loaded on specific sectors, and the unavailability of hot meals and hot beverages on ATR operations. IndiGo has positioned its revamped 6E Eats and 6E Seat & Eat offering as delivering quicker onboard service and reduced wastage, but survey data indicate fliers are not yet experiencing it that way.

On airline quality and maintenance, Indigo fliers seem more happy as the survey shows that there is sizable reduction in those who have complaints on this front. As against 27% who were dissatisfied on this front last year, in 2026 their share has dipped to just 9%. This improvement notwithstanding, the compliance margin remains thin. IndiGo accounted for 23 of the 263 safety-related lapses DGCA identified across Indian carriers, and on July 8, 2026 the regulator issued InterGlobe Aviation a warning letter for non-compliance with dangerous goods safety regulations following a January 2026 spillage incident, directing a shift to scenario-based practical training and recurrent training for all dangerous goods handling personnel at Delhi airport.

On baggage handling also there is considerable improvement as those who complained on this front have dipped from 42% last year to just 18% in 2026. The improvement follows the December 2025 disruption, when large volumes of baggage were separated from passengers across Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru and the Government directed IndiGo to trace and deliver all separated baggage within 48 hours, with about 3,000 pieces delivered in the days that followed. DGCA’s June 2026 data nonetheless show baggage remains the single largest complaint category industry-wide, at 27.8% of all passenger complaints.

The survey shows that there is an increase in Indigo fliers who are dissatisfied with onboard entertainment system as it has risen from 14% in 2025 to 28% currently. IndiGo offers neither seat-back entertainment nor in-flight internet on its mainline fleet. Its wireless streaming platform, which delivers content to passengers’ own devices along with a moving map and digital dining menu, is being introduced on the incoming A321XLR aircraft, while in-flight Wi-Fi has no confirmed launch date and a broader rollout is contingent on trial performance running into early 2027. Rising dissatisfaction on this parameter therefore reflects expectations set by competing full-service carriers as much as any change in IndiGo’s own product.

Timely communication and transparency in operations appears to have improved as the percentage of Indigo fliers who have identified it as an issue has dipped from 45% in 2025 to 32% currently. While there is improvement on this front, the fact that 3 in 10 find it a problem area, shows that this issue needs to be properly addressed. It is now also a regulatory obligation rather than a service courtesy. The Ministry of Civil Aviation’s directions of March 18, 2026 require passenger rights to be displayed prominently across websites, applications, booking platforms and airport counters, and DGCA’s standard operating procedure requires every delay, cancellation and schedule change to be communicated in real time through mandated channels, with penal consequences under the Bharatiya Vayuyan Adhiniyam, 2024 for failure to do so.

Consumer complaints against Indigo rose in areas like customer service, food quality and onboard entertainment; Improvement observed in timeliness, staff attitude & courteousness, baggage handling and information transparency

For all its tall standing among airlines operating in India, customer service and food quality remain problem areas for Indigo fliers who have pointed to it in larger numbers. On the positive side, on all other parameters there is perceived improvement but not sufficient in keeping with its lead position in the commercial aviation sector in India. Customer service and onboard food are, on this evidence, the first order of business.

In summary, the survey highlights that 5 in 10 who traveled by Indigo confirmed experiencing issues with customer service in the last 12 months, while over 3 in 10 also had an issue with food quality, timeliness, staff attitude, information timeliness & transparency.

Under DGCA oversight in 2025-26, IndiGo has generally maintained stronger timeliness and lower audit lapses than Air India, but both carriers face challenges in aircraft maintenance, passenger satisfaction, and regulatory compliance. Complaint levels spiked industry-wide in 2025, with most issues addressed, but incident-driven disruptions especially due to IndiGo’s scheduling crisis have stressed the system and attracted enhanced scrutiny and enforcement. Continued focus on crew planning, safety compliance, real-time communication, and defect rectification remains crucial as India’s aviation market expands.

What IndiGo’s new CEO needs to address: the consumer agenda

The new leadership inherits an airline that carries roughly two out of every three domestic passengers in India and that remains under a 15-month DGCA reform and monitoring programme, with a mandate spanning global growth, operational excellence, network strategy and customer experience. On the evidence of this survey, the consumer half of that mandate is where IndiGo is most exposed. LocalCircles is placing the following agenda before it.

Customer service — the single biggest and fastest-worsening problem. Complaints have risen from 32% in 2025 to 54% now. Fliers want a published, time-bound escalation path that ends with a human being rather than a chatbot loop; a hard service-level commitment on refunds credited to the original source of payment without ministerial intervention; real-time visibility of complaint status; adequate ground staffing at peak hours and a tested manual fallback so that a systems outage does not translate into two-hour queues and refused baggage acceptance; and an end to a situation where social media escalation works faster than the official grievance channel.

Food quality and onboard catering — the second deteriorating parameter. Dissatisfaction with the choice of food served on board has risen from 23% in 2025 to 54% now, and 40% report food quality as an issue experienced. Fliers want independent, disclosed food safety audits of catering partners; guaranteed loading of pre-booked meals on the sector for which they were purchased, with automatic refund where they are not; clear disclosure at booking where hot meals and hot beverages are unavailable, as on ATR operations; and transparent, comparable pricing across 6E Eats and bundled seat-and-meal products.

Staff attitude and courteousness — improved, but not yet consistent. Complaints have halved from 54% to 32%, yet 3 in 10 fliers still report a problem, and the gap widens sharply during disruptions. Fliers want structured de-escalation and disruption-handling training for cabin and ground staff, clear on-the-spot authority for frontline staff to resolve entitlements rather than referring passengers onward, equally clear protection and support for staff facing passenger misbehaviour, and accountability measured through post-flight feedback rather than complaint counts alone.

Timeliness — protect the recovery, institutionalise it. Complaints have fallen from 54% to 37% and DGCA data confirm the operational rebound. Fliers want that recovery made structural rather than reactive: crew rostering built to full flight duty time limitation compliance with genuine reserve depth rather than to the regulatory minimum, published buffer and recovery plans ahead of peak season, and no repeat of December 2025, when on-time performance fell to 8.5% and more than 4,200 flights were cancelled in nine days.

Information timeliness and transparency — now a legal duty. Complaints have fallen from 45% to 32%, but 3 in 10 still find it a problem. Fliers want the reason for every delay and a credible revised departure time pushed proactively across SMS, app, email, call and airport displays as required under DGCA’s norms; entitlements under the passenger charter stated at the point of disruption rather than only on request; outright cancellation instead of rolling delays beyond three hours; and an end to interface design that makes cancellation, refund or opt-out materially harder than purchase.

Baggage handling — hold the gains and make tracking visible. Complaints have fallen from 42% to 18%. Fliers want end-to-end bag tracking visible to the passenger in the app, the 48-hour trace-and-deliver standard the Government imposed during the December 2025 crisis adopted as permanent policy rather than a crisis measure, and delay and damage claims settled at the DGCA-prescribed levels without requiring escalation or legal recourse.

Aircraft quality and maintenance — the compliance margin is thinner than the numbers suggest. Complaints have fallen from 27% to just 9%, the sharpest improvement recorded in this survey. But DGCA’s warning letter of July 8, 2026 on dangerous goods and cargo handling, and IndiGo’s 23 safety-related lapses in the regulator’s audit round, indicate the underlying compliance position needs attention. Fliers want the mandated shift to scenario-based practical safety training completed and reported publicly, cabin serviceability defects — seats, lavatories, air-conditioning and cleanliness — tracked and rectified on a disclosed timeline, and no deferral of cabin defects in the pursuit of aircraft utilisation.

Onboard entertainment — the clearest product gap. Dissatisfaction has doubled from 14% in 2025 to 28% now. IndiGo currently offers neither seat-back screens nor in-flight Wi-Fi on its mainline fleet; wireless streaming is committed only to incoming A321XLR aircraft and connectivity has no confirmed launch date. Fliers want a dated, fleet-wide roadmap for streaming entertainment and Wi-Fi rather than an aircraft-type-limited pilot, and honest disclosure at the time of booking of exactly what will be available on the aircraft they are flying.

Above all, fliers want the new leadership to accept that scale is not a substitute for service. IndiGo carried 89.2 lakh domestic passengers in June 2026 and holds a record 66.3% domestic market share. At that level of concentration, a service failure at IndiGo is not a company-level issue — it is a failure of the Indian flying experience as a whole. LocalCircles will continue to track these eight parameters and report on whether they translate into measurable change for consumers.

Survey Demographics

The survey received over 18,000 responses from Indigo passengers located in over 313 districts of the country. 61% respondents were men while 39% respondents were women. 42% respondents were from tier 1, 28% from tier 2 and 30% respondents were from tier 3, 4, 5 & rural districts. The survey was conducted via LocalCircles platform, and all participants were validated citizens who had to be registered with LocalCircles to participate in this survey.