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Ronojoy Dutta has managed to turn around his naysayers by navigating India’s largest airline through some of its most tumultuous days. Will he weather the challenges that lie ahead?

Editor's note: Nearly everyone in aviation believed IndiGo co-founder Rahul Bhatia had got it wrong. On 24 January 2019, the country’s largest airline named Ronojoy Dutta, who had joined the company as principal consultant the previous December, as its new chief executive officer. “It was a curious choice,” a senior executive from another private airline recounts. “Dutta was forced to exit United [the American airline where he was the president] after 9/11. And then, as CEO at Air Sahara, he wasn’t able to accomplish much.” Not just that. Bhatia had roped in 67-year-old Dutta as CEO at a critical time for the airline. The charismatic Aditya Ghosh, who’d been president and de facto CEO of the airline for a decade, left in April 2018. Bhatia was to oversee daily operations in the interim and keep the seat warm for Greg Taylor, the former IndiGo senior executive who had now come back to take over as the CEO. Nothing of that sort happened. Taylor, despite joining IndiGo, soon exited the airline amid murmurs that he was caught in the middle of a growing …
Ronojoy Dutta has managed to turn around his naysayers by navigating India’s largest airline through some of its most tumultuous days. Will he weather the challenges that lie ahead?

Editor's note: Nearly everyone in aviation believed IndiGo co-founder Rahul Bhatia had got it wrong. On 24 January 2019, the country’s largest airline named Ronojoy Dutta, who had joined the company as principal consultant the previous December, as its new chief executive officer. “It was a curious choice,” a senior executive from another private airline recounts. “Dutta was forced to exit United [the American airline where he was the president] after 9/11. And then, as CEO at Air Sahara, he wasn’t able to accomplish much.” Not just that. Bhatia had roped in 67-year-old Dutta as CEO at a critical time for the airline. The charismatic Aditya Ghosh, who’d been president and de facto CEO of the airline for a decade, left in April 2018. Bhatia was to oversee daily operations in the interim and keep the seat warm for Greg Taylor, the former IndiGo senior executive who had now come back to take over as the CEO. Nothing of that sort happened. Taylor, despite joining IndiGo, soon exited the airline amid murmurs that he was caught in the middle of a growing …
A regulatory easing could see the billionaire’s conglomerate move from running airports to owning an airline—an idea he is warming up to, with multiple options open.
The Manoj Chacko-led regional airline has had a promising start. Will the lessons of the past keep it on course while it expands?
Peace talks bring relief to the Emirates, but there’s still a ways to go before full-scale recovery.
A regulatory easing could see the billionaire’s conglomerate move from running airports to owning an airline—an idea he is warming up to, with multiple options open.
The Manoj Chacko-led regional airline has had a promising start. Will the lessons of the past keep it on course while it expands?
Peace talks bring relief to the Emirates, but there’s still a ways to go before full-scale recovery.