Company Outsider: When IndiGo collapsed, its leaders were nowhere to be seen

Subscribe to enjoy similar stories. Company Outsider is a weekly newsletter by Sundeep Khanna. Subscribe to Mint's newsletters to get them directly in your email inbox. A toothless regulator and a dominant player in a two-horse race is a recipe for disaster.

We saw that unfolding this past week as thousands of fliers, scheduled to take one of Indigo’s 2,200-odd daily domestic flights, faced last-minute cancellations and rescheduling, throwing their lives into disarray. Worst was the confusion that ensued, as the airline failed miserably to provide accurate and timely information. In less than a week, the reputation that the airline worked so hard to build over the last two decades lies in tatters.

Yet, the scenario could have been different. Imagine if IndiGo's billionaire co-founder, Rahul Bhatia, and its chief executive officer, Pieter Elbers, had chosen to camp at the major airports as the crisis unfolded and faced the ire of the travellers while helping them manage their disrupted schedules. Eventually, under pressure from the government, IndiGo said it would refund fares for cancelled flights, and also helped organize hotel rooms for those left in the lurch.

Elbers, too, issued a video message, but only after the crisis had spiralled for three days. By then, the damage was done. Television and social media was flooded with videos of angry and distressed passengers demanding answers and clarity.

Much of the flak was handled by the helpless ground staff who lacked enough information, and had no power to take decisions on the spot. The presence of Bhatia and Elbers would have ensured quicker decision-making without the need to wait for instructions from absent bosses. It’s at moments like this that true leaders rise to