As IndiGo cancelled hundreds of flights, Luthra brothers escaped to Thailand – Was the International network still running?

IndiGo faces scrutiny after the Luthra brothers fled to Thailand amid massive flight cancellations. Their escape during the airline’s upheaval raises serious questions on security lapses, privilege, and aviation oversight in India.

In hot pursuit of Saurabh Luthra and Gaurav Luthra, co-owners of a nightclub in Goa where 25 people perished in a fire accident, the question being asked is how the accused could have boarded an international IndiGo flight to Thailand when the airline’s domestic flights operations were stalled after hundreds of flights were cancelled across the country. Let’s take a look.

Tragedy, escape and outrage

The controversy began at night on December 6 when a fire engulfed the club Birch by Romeo Lane, owned by Saurabh and Gaurav Luthra, killing 25 people. Hours later, the duo fled the country, immigration records show. Both boarded IndiGo flight 6E-1073, flying from Delhi (some media reports have said Mumbai) to Phuket in Thailand at about 5:30 a.m. on December 7.

By the time a Look Out Circular (LoC) was issued, the accused had already left. Police teams that were sent to their residence in Delhi were informed they were not at home, and notices were put up, which may now seem a futile exercise.

The quick escape, hours after the fire in which 25 people were killed, has sent shock waves in the media and among the public leading to investigations not only into the fire and how it spread but also into how the brothers were able to leave the country when India’s largest airline was in the midst of a chaotic flight cancellation season.

IndiGo’s domestic meltdown but some flights still took off

The timing of the escape is also significant because it happened at the peak of one of the most damaging episodes in the airline’s history. After the government had issued new regulations on pilot flight-duty time limitations (FDTL), IndiGo had to cancel hundreds of flights across the country, leaving thousands of travellers stranded.

By the time of the accident, public data shows that IndiGo had cancelled over 3,000–4,000 flights across the country by December 8.

Domestic travel had hit a roadblock, with some airports reporting nearly a 100% cancellation of flights operated by IndiGo. Amid the backdrop of the domestic chaos, news came that the Luthra brothers had boarded an international IndiGo flight to Thailand, leading to instant public outrage.

Multiple media reports highlighted the stark contrast: “while lakhs of common travellers remain stranded amid flight cancellations, the accused nightclub owners managed to flee the country on a flight virtually unaffected”.

Questions raised – policy, priority or privilege?

The event has raised a series of hard questions on operational and regulatory oversight at airline and immigration levels. How did airline scheduling and seat availability allow for such an escape to happen? Was the booking done before the cancellations began, or did the airline prioritize certain customers consciously or subconsciously?

Some aviation experts say the scheduling algorithm may have still had a residual international flight program that was less affected, depending on crew rostering or aircraft deployment. In fact, there are reports that “international IndiGo flights were not affected by the pilot rostering crisis that shut down the domestic flights”.

The sceptics, however, have a different theory: there is a larger debate now on equity and enforcement of such laws: if absconding accused can escape in such a manner during a national aviation crisis, what does it mean for ordinary citizens and fairness in terms of watch-out circulars and enforcement?

Authorities respond – manhunt, red notices

Responding to the duo’s escape, Goa Police, along with the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), have called for international assistance. CBI has reportedly approached Interpol for a “blue notice” for the Luthra brothers, to prevent them from boarding a flight again from Thailand.

Police also secured transit remand for one of their associates, and have conducted raids at multiple locations connected to the club as well as its franchise business. The probe into the fire has been intensified and the initial demolition drive has already started in some of the unauthorised properties, with more inspections ordered for other connected and possibly non-compliant fire-safety properties.

A broader reckoning for aviation and justice

The high drama of the Luthra brothers escaping during a national aviation crisis has now exposed vulnerabilities not only in security and immigration vigilance but in public faith over how priority and privilege may work in determining who gets to leave, even in such emergencies.

Millions of stranded passengers may see the escape saga as more than just a crime story or a puzzle to be solved: it’s a stark reminder of inequality and class when it comes to access and rules enforcement. The aviation sector, and regulators in particular, now have their work cut out in showing how such a breach can be prevented from happening again.

As one aviation journalist summed up the incident: “If a policing failure and a scheduling collapse can combine to let suspects board a flight while common citizens wait endlessly for days, then the system needs more than a fix, it needs a reboot”.