Pieter Elbers recently spoke at the inauguration of Goa’s new airport.
The last few days have seen several reports of Indian passengers involved in altercations with either the flight crew or other fellow travelers. Air India is currently in the eye of the storm for the way it handled a situation on an international flight, while IndiGo made headlines earlier for a video showing an argument between a flight attendant and a passenger.
Another incident involving a physical fight between passengers on a Thai Smile flight between Bangkok and Kolkata also made headlines, while one more Air India incident has surfaced quite similar to the one which occurred on the New York-Delhi flight.
Now, IndiGo’s CEO has spoken about the rise of such incidents.
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Pieter Elbers’ take on air rage incidents
Speaking at the inaugural event of Goa’s new Manohar International Airport, IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers gave his take on the rise of rude passenger behavior on flights. IndiGo is the largest airline in India and was also involved recently in one such incident.
Elbers acknowledged that there has been a rise in unruly passenger behavior, but he did not see it as a result of the sudden increase in air travel. He also added that such incidents are not limited to India but are a “global thing.”
But he did praise the cabin crew of his airlines in how they deal with such tricky situations, adding,
“We train our crew for that, and I am proud of our cabin crew dealing with these situations. I think it is our job as management to support our crew and our staff in difficult situations, and in difficult times.”
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Preparing for international expansion
On the business front, Elbers is looking forward to IndiGo expanding its international reach in the next few years but is aware that plenty of work still needs to be done.
IndiGo’s current narrowbody options allow it to only fly as far as the Middle East or in Southeast Asian countries. But all that is likely to change when it starts receiving the Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which will open new long-range destinations in Europe and the Far East.
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Elbers, however, is aware that IndiGo requires a greater awareness outside of India in the run-up to long-distance flights. He said,
“Today, IndiGo is the seventh largest airline in the world, and the brand awareness in India is super, but outside India, it is little known. The codeshares in international expansion are helping us to prepare for A321XLRs.”
Indeed, the airline has codeshare partnerships with several major international carriers, such as Turkish Airlines, Qantas, and KLM, among others. It has also wet-leased Boeing 777s from Turkish Airlines to test the waters for long-range operations.
Hopefully, by the time the A321XLRs arrive, the airline will have a firm plan in place.
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