New CEO wants IndiGo to be ‘airline of choice’

In his maiden town hall address as IndiGo’s chief executive, William Walsh underscored the need to make the airline one that passengers actively choose, instead of one they fly because of its monopoly on many routes.

Speaking a day after taking charge following the departure of Pieter Elbers in the wake of the airline’s network-wide operational meltdown in December 2025, Mr. Walsh said, “It is important to earn the confidence of our customers every day, so that IndiGo remains the airline they choose—not just because of where we fly, but because they trust us. They know they can count on us and expect a consistently high-quality experience every time they fly with us.”

IndiGo enjoys a 66% share of the domestic aviation market and has a monopoly on nearly 30% of its routes.

The airline brought air travel to its knees in December 2025 after 4,200 flights were cancelled in the first week alone, disrupting travel for about 5.9 lakh passengers. Delays had already plagued operations in November.

Besides being investigated by the DGCA, which faulted an inadequate “pilot buffer” for the disruption, the airline is also under investigation by the Competition Commission of India (CCI) for the alleged abuse of its dominant market position. The inquiry follows complaints that, after the widespread flight cancellations in December, the airline allegedly raised airfares.

Mr. Walsh also acknowledged the challenges confronting the aviation industry, citing “airspace challenges, supply chain constraints and changing global conditions,” and said the airline would need to remain agile in navigating them. His remarks come at a time when the airline is scaling back its long-haul expansion into Europe, having recently announced the suspension of widebody services to Manchester, London and Amsterdam after earlier discontinuing flights to Copenhagen.

Mr. Walsh also outlined his vision for IndiGo’s next phase of growth as the airline prepares to induct its first Airbus A350 aircraft from next year, enabling a significant expansion of its long-haul international network.

“As new aircraft join our fleet and our international network continues to expand, IndiGo will connect India with more destinations across the world than ever before,” he said.