OPEN LETTER FROM INDIGO CAPTAINS To the Government of India, DGCA, the Aviation Ministry, and the People of India We, the captains and first officers of IndiGo, write this letter with heavy hearts and deep pain. This is not a complaint — this is a cry for help. We love our profession. We have spent our lives training to protect passengers and uphold aviation safety. But today, we are breaking — silently, invisibly, and alone. Life as an IndiGo Captain Today What was once a respected profession now feels like living under fear and controlled silence. At IndiGo, speaking up about safety, fatigue, or unfair treatment often feels like risking your career. Many of us believe that raising genuine concerns is met with intimidation rather than support. We flew through Covid — risking our lives and families — while the world stayed at home. We flew with fear, with uncertainty, with tears behind closed doors. We did not abandon the airline. But after the crisis, it feels like the airline abandoned us. Painful Reality Our salaries were cut by nearly half. Allowances vanished. Inflation skyrocketed. EMIs and school fees kept rising. But our pay never returned to what it was — let alone what it should be. IndiGo bounced back to record-breaking profits, new aircraft orders, expansion, celebrations at the top… Yet the pilots and cabin crew who carried the airline through its worst days are left struggling to survive. Today, many captains are: Cutting down essential family expenses Living with debt and financial stress Missing time with children Flying while mentally and physically exhausted We are responsible for hundreds of lives every day, yet treated like numbers and replaceable parts. Rosters Designed to Break Humans Continuous four-sector days, minimum rest, aircraft swaps, night after night with no real sleep — this is our reality. Fatigue reports are made, but instead of action, we feel pressure and fear. Rest is just enough to survive. Not enough to live. How can a tired pilot protect 180 passengers? How long can human endurance replace proper planning? Leadership That Pilots Fear, Not Respect The deepest wound is the culture inside. Pilots feel humiliated, disrespected, and scared to speak. Many pilots describe senior managers such as: Ashim Mitra — seen as clinging to power while pilots suffer Akshay Mohan — perceived as pushing to squeeze pilots even more Rahul Patil — remembered for fear, shouting, and intimidation Tapas Dey — infamous for saying “beggars can’t be choosers” Instead of protecting pilots, many believe they protect their positions and power. We ask: Is this leadership, or is this exploitation? The Recent Meltdown — A Result of Broken Systems In November 2025, senior leadership reportedly told pilots that the airline was overstaffed and needed further cuts. Days later, IndiGo collapsed into massive cancellations — over a thousand flights disrupted, passengers stranded across the country. How can a company with “excess pilots” suddenly fall apart due to pilot shortages and planning failures? The public suffered. Pilots were blamed. Leadership stayed silent. What We Are Asking For We are not asking for luxury. We are not asking for power. We are asking for basic dignity and fairness. Our demands: 1. Restore salaries and allowances to realistic, inflation-adjusted levels 2. Respect human limits — no more roster torture disguised as efficiency 3. Create an independent pilot body elected by pilots, not appointed by management 4. Protect whistle-blowers and safety reporting 5. Replace individuals who built careers by breaking the workforce 6. Government intervention to enforce minimum standards for fatigue, manpower, and pay Our Final Words We are exhausted. We are disheartened. We are losing health, peace, and family life. But the greatest fear is this: We are being pushed to fly airplanes while mentally broken and physically fatigued — and that is a safety risk for the entire nation. IndiGo was built not just by corporate offices, but by pilots, engineers, cabin crew, and ground staff. Without us, airplanes do not move. Safety does not exist. Passengers do not fly. We are not enemies. We are not machines. We are human beings. All we want is to fly with dignity again. We request the Government of India, DGCA, and the citizens of India to stand with us. For safety. For respect. For fairness. For the future of aviation. — From the Captains and First Officers of IndiGo