Rahul Bhatia: We Stuck To The Fundamentals

Image: Amit Verma

Rahul Bhatia, Chairman, IndiGo

Name: Rahul Bhatia,
Profile: Chairman, IndiGo
Age: 49
Why He Won For proving that a low-cost carrier can be clean, on time and reliable. And for flying in the face of scepticism to establish India’s most profitable airline operation.


Human beings tend to mutate over time, but at IndiGo we intend to hang on to our DNA. We have set up a certain kind of airline. And it works. The thing to do is to make sure we do not deviate from this basic offering. We have recently started international flights and the premise does not change at all. It’s the same really.

We were the last ones off the block and that meant that the journey has been a little tougher. However, the acceptance that IndiGo has found with the travelling public is very encouraging. I don’t think there is anything unusual about our journey so far. We have simply stuck to what we set out to do. A clean, hassle-free and an on-time airline is the least that our passengers deserve. When we started, LCCs [low-cost carriers] were unfortunately associated with low quality. We believe that low cost is not synonymous with low quality. IndiGo has changed the way Indian passengers perceive low-fare airlines.

Again, what we are seeing in India, in terms of the evolution of air travel, is no different from many other parts of the world — whether it is North America, Europe, Middle East / West Asia or South East Asia. There is a rapid acceptance of a quality offering at an affordable price.

The Real Differentiators
I don’t think hoardings bring in a single customer for an airline. It just makes us feel good. Our philosophy has always been to keep our visibility low. The business is not about putting our name on the tail. It is more about delivering what the customer wants.

At IndiGo, we have just stuck to the fundamentals of the business and the constant effort is to deliver on what we promise: Just keep it simple — affordable, on-time and hassle-free. Our constant effort has been to meet the demand. We have been the industry-first in several operating areas. We had launched operations with a brand new Airbus A320 aircraft, step-less stairs (walking ramp), state-of-the-art air conditioned tarmac coaches, web check-in, booking capability on handheld devices, automated real-time flight status on handheld devices and queue-busters.

While these customer-facing aspects distinguish IndiGo from its competitors, the real differentiator is that it has always been current in all its dues to all its service providers and business partners — be they airport operators, fuel suppliers, lessors or indeed our very proud employees. IndiGo continues to build its network as per plan, and there has been no change in our aircraft delivery schedule. IndiGo is committed to expand its reach in a steady manner.

Our vision is to build something that this country can be proud of — an airline that delivers on its promise, always. We are in a growth industry and I am sure there will always be room at the top for efficient and profitable airlines — whether they serve the full-service or the price-sensitive segments of the market. There is no doubt about the huge demand in India from people who want to fly. New markets are coming up all the time. The opportunity for international flights is exciting and we would like to launch more flights as soon as we get permission.

(As told to Cuckoo Paul)

Rahul Bhatia has been travelling over the past few weeks. Forbes India has been tracking the airline and its founder regularly. This piece is based on conversations with our correspondent over several months.