‘There is too much drama around expats joining’

IndiGo’s announcement on ADITYA GHOSH stepping down as president of the airline came along with the speculation that he was leaving because of expats joining the top management. There has also been a buzz that he, along with private equity investors, might bid for Air India. Ghosh spoke to Surajeet Das Gupta on issues related to the aviation sector and IndiGo, but dismissed the expat angle and refused to get into the specifics of Air India sale. Edited excerpts:

Did you take a sudden decision to leave IndiGo or was it the end of a boardroom drama as is being described by many?

Well, a decision like this can never be sudden. It has been a difficult decision. At the same time, I had been itching to do something new. I had been talking to Rahul (Bhatia) and Rakesh (Gangwal) for a while. I have a great relationship with them. So it took me a while to convince them. I felt that if there is ever a time to step back and think about what next, this is as good a time as any.

When the airline was small, you knew the number of each aircraft and the names of all the employees. As it has grown bigger with more complexity in processes, perhaps it needs a different kind of management with even expats joining in. What do you think?

I think I still know the names of most of my colleagues. We have to build a world-class team that draws talent from all over the world. That would mean attracting the best, irrespective of whether they are Indian or foreigners. Too much drama is being read into this.

IndiGo has a larger global ambition now. So, will it not need a new team to run the business? There is speculation you left because expats were inducted.

While it sounds dramatic, it is just not true. Would it have been more palatable if we had just stayed stagnant and not strengthened the team? No.

Were you not keen on bidding for Air India?

Not sure where this is coming from. But I can tell you this much that once a decision is made by the board after adequate de liberation, it is a team decision and each one of us believes inputting in our best effort.

Many criticise you for your obsession with one plan configuration to cut costs. You concentrated only on cost and profit, not on growing beyond just a domestic low-cost carrier. Is there merit in that criticism?

It is a team decision and each one of us believe sin putting in our best effort. I came into this operating role of leading the airline when we were flying fewer than 20 air planes. Now it is over 160. I think we had fewer than 100 daily flights. Now it is over 1,000 to more than 50 cities. We were about 1,100 employees then and today we are over 17,000. And finally, a relentless focus on cost with an aim to create a high-quality product is a good thing!

“CUSTOMERS SEE THROUGH THE WRAPPING PAPER QUICKLY. THEY COME BACK TO A CONSISTENT AND RELIABLE PRODUCT”

The Pratt & Whitney engine choice was made by you because they offered cheaper rates. Was it a wrong decision?

Such mammoth decisions are not made by individuals. Neither are they taken on the basis of one parameter. Only time will tell that this will turn out to be a game changer for the future.

The airline faced challenges linked to staff behaviour. When a passenger was beaten up, you defended the employees and sacked the staff who took a video. Then you apologised. Couldn’t the issue be handled better?

It was regrettable. Unfortunately, in the frenzy of breaking news, facts are often ignored and perception becomes reality. But one has to get comfortable with the fact that when you are a leader, one has to bear the burden of leadership.

You have submitted to a parliamentary committee that staff behaviour challenges are due to people being hired from small cities. How do you justify a statement like that?

That is just plain wrong and false. I never said that. What I said was simply (and I had spoken in Hindi) that we hire from various cities and towns and regions of the country with colleagues coming from a variety of linguistic backgrounds. And it is not fair to expect everyone to suddenly start speaking fluently in English in a few weeks. And I am not only proud of each of them, I am inspired by them.

Many competing airlines say IndiGo has stymied their efforts to get slots and flights in many airports, especially at peak times, by using their clout.

I do not think any airline in India can complain about the lack of growth opportunities. Also, this is such an open and transparent process.

What is your view on marketing versus product?

A good marketing campaign is one that is in sync and aligned with the attributes of a high-quality product. It is not enough to have an attractive wrapping paper. Customers see through the wrapping paper quickly. They come back to a consistent and reliable product.

What do you plan to do next? Will you remain in the aviation business?

It is too early for me to comment on that. All I can tell you is that as I pause to think through the next adventure, I am ever curious and passionate about new things and I have kept an open mind.