IndiGo has hired former Air India Express chief executive Aloke Singh as chief strategy officer, marking the first senior leadership change at the country’s largest airline, less than a fortnight after CEO Peters Elbers moved out and founder Rahul Bhatia stepped into the role of interim boss.
Singh will lead IndiGo’s long-term strategic planning and spearhead enterprise-wide transformation initiatives, with a focus on accelerating growth, improving operational efficiency, and strengthening the airline’s competitive position in an increasingly dynamic global aviation market, according to the company’s statement.
“For now, Aloke will report to me. Once the next CEO assumes office, he will transition to reporting to the new chief executive,” said co-founder and managing director Bhatia, welcoming Singh in a company statement.
Singh, in the statement, said he was joining IndiGo at a “pivotal moment” for both the airline and the broader Indian aviation sector, as the carrier looks to deepen its domestic leadership while expanding its global footprint.
Sanjay Kumar was the last officially designated chief strategy officer at Indigo, serving until December 2022.
Singh, who is arguably one of the first senior leaders hired by IndiGo from a rival homegrown airline, starts his new stint on 6 April.
The move comes as IndiGo prepares to induct wide-body aircraft and deepen international operations, requiring tighter coordination across network planning, commercial strategy, operations, and partnerships.
A veteran
Singh joins IndiGo after leading Air India Express (AIX) through a period of rapid scale-up and integration, including the merger with Air Asia India as part of the Tata group’s airline consolidation. He stepped down from the CEO’s role at Air India Express, now part of the Tata-owned Air India group, on 19 March.
During his tenure at AIX, he saw harmonization of fleets, labour contracts, scheduling systems, and route networks—a complex exercise that reshaped the airline from a Gulf-focused operator into a broader domestic and short-haul international carrier feeding the group’s network anchored by Air India.
Before Air India Express, Singh held senior roles in network planning and strategy at Oman Air and, before that, at the then state-owned Indian Airlines.
The move shows the airline wants to strengthen its leadership as it grows beyond its strong domestic base and expands internationally. Singh will work closely with the leadership team on key areas such as expanding routes, improving customer experience, and making the organization more agile.
IndiGo first saw an abrupt leadership change with the exit of Elbers on 10 March, three months after the airline cancelled more than 4,500 flights in December as it failed to comply with new pilot rest norms mandated by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), triggering an operational meltdown that left thousands of passengers stranded at airports.
Following the crisis, the DGCA reduced IndiGo’s winter schedule by 10% until 10 February. On 17 January 2026, the regulator imposed penalties exceeding ₹22 crore, issued warnings to Elbers and two other senior executives, and asked the airline to provide a bank guarantee of ₹50 crore to ensure systemic improvements.
