Rahul Bhatia, the co-founder and MD of IndiGo, is set to oversee the airline’s operations after CEO Pieter Elbers stepped down from his role with immediate effect, citing personal reasons.
In a statement on Tuesday, IndiGo said Bhatia would temporarily manage the affairs of the airline until a new leader is appointed. “Rahul Bhatia, Managing Director of IndiGo, shall in the interim assume management of the affairs of the airline until such time that the Company announces the arrival of a new leader,” the airline said in a statement.
After assuming the role, Bhatia said, “Having founded and nurtured IndiGo for 22 years, I feel a deep sense of personal commitment and responsibility towards our nation, and towards the airline’s customers, employees, shareholders and all other stakeholders.”
“While placing Culture, Service Excellence and Stakeholder Trust at the forefront of its operations, IndiGo will continue to sharpen its strategic focus on serving India and her people with an airline that is professionally managed, operationally reliable and globally respected,” he added, as per the press release.
Who is Rahul Bhatia?
Rahul Bhatia is one of the founding figures behind IndiGo and currently serves as the Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Aviation, the airline’s parent company. He founded InterGlobe in 1989, initially focusing on air transport management. Over the past three decades, he has transformed the group into a diversified aviation and travel ecosystem.
{{/usCountry}}Rahul Bhatia is one of the founding figures behind IndiGo and currently serves as the Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Aviation, the airline’s parent company. He founded InterGlobe in 1989, initially focusing on air transport management. Over the past three decades, he has transformed the group into a diversified aviation and travel ecosystem.
{{/usCountry}}According to the official InterGlobe website, Bhatia holds a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical Engineering from the University of Waterloo in Ontario, Canada. Under his leadership, InterGlobe has expanded beyond aviation. The group’s portfolio now includes businesses in hospitality, logistics, technology services, airline management, advanced pilot training and aircraft maintenance engineering.
According to a report by Forbes, Rahul Bhatia’s net worth stands at about $6.5 billion as of March 2026. He is ranked 602nd on the Forbes global billionaire list.
Notably, Bhatia co-founded the airline with Rakesh Gangwal. The partnership played a key role in building IndiGo into a dominant player in India’s aviation sector. However, the relationship between the two founders later deteriorated following a public dispute in 2019 over governance issues. Gangwal stepped down from the board of the company in 2022 and has since been gradually selling his stake in the airline.