New Delhi Peter Albers on Tuesday took over as the Chief Executive Officer of India’s largest airline IndiGo. The Dutch national is an aviation veteran with over 30 years of experience at KLM, Netherlands.
IndiGo’s outgoing CEO Ronojoy Dutta has agreed to an enhanced non-compete period for a period of two years as compared to a year ago, the company said on August 30 against accelerated bonus and amount in lieu of stock options. The non-compete clause states that Dutta shall not engage in any business or related business which is similar, similar or competitive in any way and shall not engage in the Indian aviation sector or provide consultancy services to any entity engaged in Indian aviation.
IndiGo’s board has high hopes from Albers, who oversaw the restructuring of KLM during the pandemic. Having served at KLM as Chairman since 2014, Albers adds to his significant experience in developing international hubs and connectivity.
IndiGo has made it clear that if it had not been for the pandemic, it would have already grown significantly in the international segment.
A company official said Dutta was relieved of his duties not on September 30 but on September 5, as reported by the airline earlier. In fact, Dutta agreed to a shorter notice period as per the request of the management.
“It may be noted that six months notice was required to be given to Mr. Dutta as per the original terms of appointment. However, at the request of the management, it has agreed to grant relief by giving 4.5 months notice, whereby 1.5 months notice ceases to be paid,” the company’s exchange filing dated August 30 read.
Dutta joined IndiGo in December 2018 as a Principal Consultant and developed a five-term business plan. He was appointed CEO for a period of five years with effect from 24 January 2019. Dutta had joined IndiGo at a time when the airline needed stability following the resignation of long-term chairman Aditya Ghosh, prompting Albers to rapidly expand IndiGo across international borders. and generate diverse revenue streams.
The airline has considered choosing wide-body aircraft for long-haul international flight operations several times in the past. Although extensive discussions in the past have yielded no results, the airline has built a strong network of medium- to short-haul global routes using its narrow-bodied aircraft.
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