IndiGo boss asks employees to stay calm, focus on work

A video of IndiGo passenger being manhandled by two airline staffers went viral

IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh on Friday wrote to its employees, asking them to stay calm as the company deals with one of their worst public relations crisis. “We made a mistake, we apologised, we took action, it’s time to move ahead,” Ghosh wrote to his employees. 

In a video, widely shared on social media and televised on local news channels, at least two IndiGo staff members can be seen pinning a passenger down to the ground after an argument on the tarmac.

However, in a seven-page report addressed to civil aviation minister, IndiGo used multiple screenshots from the video to explain the reasons behind the incident and what transpired between the passenger and its employees.

While the video shows the passenger already in a heated altercation with the airline staff, IndiGo's report to the ministry said it started a few minutes back when the ground staff warned him to stay away from a lift he was "inadvertently advancing towards,". It also said Katyal swore at the employee who had asked him to go. When asked why he was being abusive, he irritably denied misconduct on his part.

Ghosh said in the letter that the only way to respond to criticism is to make the customers happy. “The only way to respond to them is to have millions of happy customers. Be calm. Don’t be provoked, Just carry on with your duties,” added Ghosh.

Travel industry sources said that the incident did not have any impact on the airline’s forward booking. There were no reports of cancellations either. 

“Ticket sales went higher than normal despite fares being high from Delhi, which is IndiGo’s hub, and there were no large number of cancellations as well,” said an industry source. IndiGo sells around 8,000 tickets per day.

IndiGo is the largest carrier in India in terms of fleet size and market share. It also carries the highest number of passengers in India. 

Urging his employees to remain focused on their jobs, Ghosh said: “Remember that being courteous and hassle-free is something we stand for. If you do that, no one can deny the dignity of your hard work.”