Arrogance at 35,000 feet

IndiGo's leadership appears to have confused dominance with entitlement

- 

NDIGO HAS LONG sold itself as India's great aviation success storya low-cost miracle powered by scale, efficiency, and relentless expansion. But that image has collapsed over the past few days of utter chaossomething entirely of the airline's own making. It seems IndiGo has mistaken market dominance for moral immunity. The arrogance of its leadership sits uneasily with a company that exists only because millions of ordinary Indians choose to fly with it.Arrogance breeds carelessness, evident from the way IndiGo did nothing on complying with the new Flight Duty Time Limitations (FDTL), which were notified in May 2024. It's obvious the airline deliberately took it easy in the belief that it was large enough and influential enough to get away with it. The arrogance now deserves consequences. Captain GRGopinath, founder of Air Deccan, is absolutely justified in demanding that the CEO should resign—a mere apology isn't enough. Hopefully, the board comprising some of India's most distinguished names are listening.