You can't blame Aditya for engine problems; Pratt & Whitney working round-the-clock to resolve issue: IndiGo founder Rahul Bhatia
Bhatia says Pratt and Whitney engines are flown around the world. "If there was a safety issue, regulators would have grounded them. Certain elements are degrading faster. You simply bring down the engine and replace them," adds Bhatia.
- May 1, 2018,
- Updated May 4, 2018 12:54 PM IST
"You cannot blame Aditya for Pratt & Whitney engine (problems)," says Rahul Bhatia, founder and interim CEO of India's largest airline IndiGo. He was referring to the sudden resignation of president and whole-time director Aditya Ghosh who ran the airline for 10 years. "Aditya had been mentioning that he would like to go off the treadmill of running an airline. He completes 10 years on July 31 with us." IndiGo operates over 1,200 flights a day, flying 1.5 lakh Indians every day. That's four out of every 10 Indians who take to the sky on a daily basis.
For the past 18 months, IndiGo has already been battling with a series of malfunctions in Pratt & Whitney's 450 series engines, which have faced a spate of mid-air power loss, engine shutdowns as well as issues related to rapid degradation of oil seals. At last count, they had resulted in nearly 70 engine replacements.
Two of IndiGo's aircraft were grounded as recently as April 29. "Pratt and Whitney is working round-the-clock to resolve engine issues. These engines are flown around the world. If there was a safety issue, regulators would have grounded them. It's not a safety issue. Certain elements are degrading faster. You simply bring down the engine and replace them," says Bhatia.
While announcing the departure of Ghosh last week, IndiGo said that Bhatia has taken the charge of interim CEO at the airline. In the months to come, the company will consider appointing Gregory Taylor, an aviation sector veteran who spent about three decades in United Airlines, as President and CEO of the airlines. The largest domestic carrier IndiGo has 39.7 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2018. Bhatia says the choice of Pratt & Whitney's 450 series was not a mistake as it delivers 15 per cent fuel efficiency.
In the past 12-18 months, besides engine troubles, IndiGo has also taken a lot of flak for bad behaviour of its staff on multiple occasions. On one such occasion, a staff member incited a colleague to pin down a traveller on the tarmac at the Delhi airport. On another, badminton champion PV Sindhu complained on social media about a rude IndiGo employee.
Observers believe fast-growing IndiGo has been so focused on efficiency, growth, and profits that it has failed to imbibe softer skills among the staff. Bhatia, however, counters that saying, "Consistent service is not possible without what is perceived as inflexibility, but is actually adherence to processes. We fly 1.5 lakh passengers every day, and our endeavour is to service customers better at the best price."
On the infamous incident of the IndiGo employee pinning down a flyer to the tarmac, Bhatia says, "We are heavily invested in training, and would like to show to you our state of the art training centre. IndiGo looks for the right attitude while hiring new joinees."
Bhatia believes people are the airline's biggest strength and they give it a culture, spirit, and a soul that's hard to find in the aviation sector. However, he says, India's opportunity lies in making sure that the aviation infrastructure is keeping pace with growth.
Also read: After Aditya Ghosh bows out, here's the new team that constitutes IndiGo top brass
"You cannot blame Aditya for Pratt & Whitney engine (problems)," says Rahul Bhatia, founder and interim CEO of India's largest airline IndiGo. He was referring to the sudden resignation of president and whole-time director Aditya Ghosh who ran the airline for 10 years. "Aditya had been mentioning that he would like to go off the treadmill of running an airline. He completes 10 years on July 31 with us." IndiGo operates over 1,200 flights a day, flying 1.5 lakh Indians every day. That's four out of every 10 Indians who take to the sky on a daily basis.
For the past 18 months, IndiGo has already been battling with a series of malfunctions in Pratt & Whitney's 450 series engines, which have faced a spate of mid-air power loss, engine shutdowns as well as issues related to rapid degradation of oil seals. At last count, they had resulted in nearly 70 engine replacements.
Two of IndiGo's aircraft were grounded as recently as April 29. "Pratt and Whitney is working round-the-clock to resolve engine issues. These engines are flown around the world. If there was a safety issue, regulators would have grounded them. It's not a safety issue. Certain elements are degrading faster. You simply bring down the engine and replace them," says Bhatia.
While announcing the departure of Ghosh last week, IndiGo said that Bhatia has taken the charge of interim CEO at the airline. In the months to come, the company will consider appointing Gregory Taylor, an aviation sector veteran who spent about three decades in United Airlines, as President and CEO of the airlines. The largest domestic carrier IndiGo has 39.7 per cent market share in the first quarter of 2018. Bhatia says the choice of Pratt & Whitney's 450 series was not a mistake as it delivers 15 per cent fuel efficiency.
In the past 12-18 months, besides engine troubles, IndiGo has also taken a lot of flak for bad behaviour of its staff on multiple occasions. On one such occasion, a staff member incited a colleague to pin down a traveller on the tarmac at the Delhi airport. On another, badminton champion PV Sindhu complained on social media about a rude IndiGo employee.
Observers believe fast-growing IndiGo has been so focused on efficiency, growth, and profits that it has failed to imbibe softer skills among the staff. Bhatia, however, counters that saying, "Consistent service is not possible without what is perceived as inflexibility, but is actually adherence to processes. We fly 1.5 lakh passengers every day, and our endeavour is to service customers better at the best price."
On the infamous incident of the IndiGo employee pinning down a flyer to the tarmac, Bhatia says, "We are heavily invested in training, and would like to show to you our state of the art training centre. IndiGo looks for the right attitude while hiring new joinees."
Bhatia believes people are the airline's biggest strength and they give it a culture, spirit, and a soul that's hard to find in the aviation sector. However, he says, India's opportunity lies in making sure that the aviation infrastructure is keeping pace with growth.
Also read: After Aditya Ghosh bows out, here's the new team that constitutes IndiGo top brass