Ronojoy Dutta to step down as IndiGo CEO, KLM president Pieter Elbers to take over
India

Ronojoy Dutta to step down as IndiGo CEO, KLM president Pieter Elbers to take over

Pieter Elbers will join the carrier on October after Dutta's retirement in September. Elbers' term as the head of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is ending on 1 July.

   
File image of Ronojoy Dutta | Bloomberg

File image of Ronojoy Dutta | Bloomberg

New Delhi: IndiGo, India’s top airline, said Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta will step down effective Sept. 30, and named the chief of Air France-KLM’s Dutch unit as replacement.

Pieter Elbers will join IndiGo by Oct. 1, pending regulatory approvals, IndiGo said in a statement to stock exchanges on Wednesday. Elbers’s term as the head of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is ending on July 1.

IndiGo has seen a slew of top level executives quit in recent months, with Chief Commercial Officer Willy Boulter as well as finance chief Jiten Chopra deciding to leave earlier this year. The departures came after billionaire co-founder Rahul Bhatia was appointed in a newly-created executive role of managing director in February, while fellow co-founder Rakesh Gangwal stepped down from the airline’s board.

Dutta’s resignation comes amid an investigation by the Indian aviation regulator on the airline’s decision to disallow boarding of a disabled teenage boy on the ground that he could cause disturbance and become a safety threat. The regulator’s initial inquiry shows IndiGo didn’t comply with regulations and inappropriately handled passengers. –Bloomberg


Also read: Ranchi incident: DGCA probe says IndiGo staff inappropriately handled passengers, issues show-cause