The government’s intervention? It’s going way beyond a simple ‘Sorry’ from the airline or a temporary policy fix. Sources are saying the government might actually force a reconstitution of IndiGo’s board. That is huge. Or nothing.
What draws people there? The current board is heavy on big corporate names—ex-Shell, ex-NITI Aayog, top lawyer, ex-SEBI chief. Yes, they have Michael Whitaker (ex-FAA) and Gregg Saretsk (ex-WestJet), but the government view now? They think there aren’t enough people with deep, hands-on operational aviation DNA.
The logic is simple: when you have someone who truly understands network design, crew rostering, and aircraft ground time, they can ask the right questions at the board level. The operational risk shouldn’t stay buried with the managers. It needs board-level visibility.
The Gangwal Shadow: Where Did the Discipline Go?
This brings us to Rakesh Gangwal. His shadow is looming large over this whole crisis.
Gangwal was the operational brain. Former Air France, former United Airlines. He created IndiGo’s whole low-cost, high-utilisation playbook. We’re talking:
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Rigorous Turnaround: Sweating the assets hard.
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Standardised Fleet: Only one aircraft type.
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Uncompromising Reliability: Consistency over flair.
That model helped IndiGo scale while rivals stumbled. That happened. And then he had that bitter governance feud with co-promoter Rahul Bhatia. Gangwal stepped away in 2022 and started selling his stake, bit by bit. He’s almost fully out now.
The transition to a professional-management model brought institutionalisation. But some experts argue—and here’s the kicker—that it also diluted the founder-led, almost ‘militaristic’ operational micromanagement that used to be the airline’s shock absorber.
This FDTL mess is the first major system-wide stress test in the post-Gangwal era. They failed to anticipate the crew needs for the revised duty rules. Thousands were affected. The government wasn’t satisfied with the apology. Now they’re looking at deeper governance accountability. This isn’t over. It’s ongoing.
End….
