AirAsia's Mittu Chandilya in top flight

The Indian skies have turned into a boxing ring. The match is fierce: no punches are spared, and the support staff alleges foul play frequently. The pugilists are rippling with muscle. In its trademark red is AirAsia; and in elegant blue, IndiGo. The first is a global phenomenon; the second is the undisputed leader in India. At the break, the boxer in red removes his headgear and a chiselled face with bright eyes and sleek black hair is uncovered — a face made for selfies. This is Mittu Chandilya, 34, the CEO of AirAsia India, owner of the Bangalore franchise of Vijay Amritraj’s Champions Tennis League India, close friend of Bollywood hunk John Abraham and father of three boys.


So far, the blows have been evenly matched. Days after AirAsia announced Bangalore would be its hub, IndiGo ramped up its operations from the city. When the Bangalore airport announced that it will charge lower parking fees to those who make it a hub, others erupted in protest and took the matter to the courts. When AirAsia launched a service from Bangalore to Jaipur, IndiGo had its flight on the route ready. Thanks to rivals operating several new flights, AirAsia’s Bangalore-Chennai service is carrying loads that are well below projections. In Bangalore, the prime slots in the morning and evening have been bagged by IndiGo, leaving early morning and afternoon slots for AirAsia, Read news in full 18/10/14 Surajeet Das Gupta/Business Standard