Digitising the core: Indigo CDIO on digital, data, AI, fuel efficiency and future plans

Neetan Chopra, Chief Digital & Information Officer, IndiGo discusses the digital roadmap of the airline, two patents filed by the airline to enhance Ops; how the electronic flight folder has rationalised fuel usage and what’s in store for FY25-26.

IndiGo recently partnered with a major AI data cloud provider to empower your customers, partners and the internal Ops at the airline. Please elaborate.

Data is one of the most important resources for any enterprise, and more so for an airline, given the high amount of engagement with a large number of customers. However, data is only helpful when it is extracted, curated, governed and then enabled for consumption across multiple business processes. Preparing the airline for an AI-powered future is a big task – it requires time and effort to do it right, but it is essential. At IndiGo we have been working with a leading data cloud provider to build our data pipelines, curate our golden records, ensure there is a clear governance strategy to maintain data quality, and then create the serving layer so that these trusted records can be used across various business processes serving customers, partners and internal operations. We call this project ‘Prism.’

It’s been about four years since you joined Indigo, the company has undergone a ‘complete tech refresh’ under your leadership. However my question is around your team and stakeholder management. How has that experience been specifically regarding the digital transformation because no such exercise can be successful without collaboration ?

Digital transformation is a team sport. It requires an efficient and effective digital team, which acts as a catalyst for transformation. This has been done at IndiGo, and we now have a world-class digital leadership and senior management team. However, it is most important that the larger employee and stakeholder base are fully involved, engaged and internalise the transformation. In order to get everyone aligned, they need clear visibility of the objective and the method to achieve it. Hence, we spent a lot of time and effort in elucidating a clear digital transformation strategy/roadmap and then internally propagating it at multiple forums. In addition, we have run numerous projects to enable the transformation. Each project has co-ownership with the business, and this inherently ensures a deeper level of engagement and collaboration. An innovative communication approach which includes sharing progress and achievements through creative forums, that we call Vernissages, has enabled alignment with the stakeholders where they fully resonate with the digital journey.

It’s been two years since your book ‘Accelerated Digital Transformation’ was released. How did you take out time to write the book, any particular places where you got the most innovative of the ideas in your book writing journey ? What does book writing do to you as a person ? Also out of the 15 stories, which is your favourite and why?

I started the Digital Transformation journey in 2013 and by 2018, I was engaging with several forums in UAE and Europe on the lessons learnt from the journey. I was observing a very high level of interest in the knowledge I was sharing, as there was no clear playbook for digital transformation. This was the catalyst to convert my experience into a book - ‘Accelerated Digital Transformation”, which includes the Honeycomb Framework, to help other businesses with their respective transformation journeys. 

When I was writing the book, one mantra that kept ringing in my head was, ‘writing a book on disruption should disrupt the writing of the book.’ This prompted me to get six global archetypes to share their experiences on transformation, drawing inspiration from the Platform business model. This approach was one of the most enjoyable parts of the process for me. Additionally, in the book, I share numerous experiences in the format of stories as I feel storytelling is critical to learning and recall. My favourite story is ‘Chris and the Hatman’, as it truly brings out how customer obsession can manifest in large enterprises. 

As an enterprise digital person, becoming an author and writing this book was exhilarating and exhausting, at the same time. It needed a lot of patience and persistence to write over 60,000 words, but now it allows me to engage with multiple student and professional communities on the topic of digital transformation. Hence, it was all worth the effort.

As per the Annual Report of the company for FY 24-25, the 'Operating cost of software' has taken a jump from Rs 3,901 million to Rs 5,867 million. Moreover, the 'Communication and Information Technology' cost has also increased from 167 million to 191 million, broadly these investments have been made in what kind of areas at the airline ?

In FY 2025, we advanced our digital roadmap across customer experience, operations, workforce productivity and data infrastructure, with investments geared towards strengthening the core of IndiGo, enhancing engagement, ensuring security, and encouraging innovation.

Digitising the core of IndiGo: We implemented world class, cloud native SAAS (Software as a Service) platforms to digitise the core commercial, operational, and support business processes. Some examples include Jeppesen for Airline Ops; Salesforce for CRM; SAP for the entire HR, Finance and Procurement backbone; and continuous upgrades on Navitaire, IndiGo’s Passenger Services System (PSS) which is the digital backbone of our commercial operations.

Digital engagement platforms for customers and employees: We significantly enhanced our website and mobile app for our customers and travel partners. Several scrum teams now enhance various aspects of our customers’ digital journeys and deliver features and functions in rapid four-week sprints. We deeply believe in the mantra that ‘there is no CX without EX’ and hence an equivalent amount of effort went into enhancing the internal digital platform for employees, which is called 6E Breez.

Digital infrastructure including Cyber Security: We shifted the entire infrastructure of IndiGo to the Cloud and switched off our data centers. Significant investments continue to be made in implementing our in-depth ‘defense’ strategy for cyber security and resilience. Infrastructure and applications also went through upgrades, to ensure technical debt is minimized.

Continuous Innovation: Lab37 is IndiGo’s frontier innovation hub, for deploying AI and other advanced technologies. Not only did we register two patents for digital innovations in airline operations but also launched and scaled 6Eskai, as a direct, revenue-facing channel for customers to book their flights using natural language conversations. 6Eskai was also scaled for multiple internal business functions to help with operational queries and tasks.

Please share about the journey with ‘Indigo Ventures’, of which you are the founder - the company has allocated ₹3 billion for the venture arm. What does it entail and how has been the progress overall ?

At IndiGo Ventures, our investment thesis is anchored in identifying and backing high-impact startups that align with IndiGo’s long-term strategic priorities. While aviation and air travel remain at the core, our mandate extends to adjacent sectors that can enhance efficiency, elevate customer experience, and unlock new revenue streams across the travel value chain.

The objective of IndiGo Ventures is not just to generate financial returns, but to foster innovation that can be scaled within IndiGo’s ecosystem. We aim to serve as a strategic partner to startups, offering access to IndiGo’s network, operational know-how, and market insights. In doing so, we see potential for dual value creation — enabling startups to scale rapidly while driving measurable impact for IndiGo’s business and its 100 million+ customers every year.

The progress thus far has been excellent. We have done a ₹450 crore first close that gives us meaningful firepower to start deploying into high-conviction opportunities. We have also made our first investment in Jeh Aerospace, which represents a strategic bet on the future of aerospace manufacturing in India.

Indigo has also recently undertaken a complete overhaul of its customer facing digital platforms - like a revamped website and mobile app, what has changed for the regular Indigo traveller, how has been the adoption rates ?  

As more people choose to interact digitally and use self-service options, we have made significant enhancements on our digital platforms to make the journey faster, easier to navigate, and more rewarding for our customers.

Personalised experience

Our revamped website and mobile app adapt dynamically to each traveller — from custom flight offers to discounted ancillary offers — ensuring fewer clicks and faster checkouts.

Payments re-architected

Whether domestic or international, payments are now faster, more secure, and friction-free, catering to varied modes and currencies.

Empowered agents

Through IndiGo Access, our long-tail B2B agents now enjoy a refreshed interface, ensuring smoother servicing and better support for customers booking through them.

Loyalty made simple

The response to our loyalty program, IndiGo BluChip, has been great, with over 4.3 million registered members in less than a year. With rewards based on spends, points with no expiry for active members, convenient option of paying with cash and points, co-branded credit cards, and partnerships that extend value beyond air travel, members now earn and burn IndiGo BluChips effortlessly making repeat journeys more rewarding.

Adoption has been phenomenal with significant year-on-year growth in both our direct digital share of wallet and the Net Promoter Score (NPS). This goes on to show how more travellers are choosing to book and engage with us on our own digital platforms.

How has the efficiency level improved after the launch of the Digital Command Centre (DCC) ?

Since the launch of the Digital Command Center (DCC), operational efficiency has improved significantly across digital operations. DCC operates 24/7, providing real time monitoring for critical infrastructure and applications. Technical and service functions—including mission critical application support were consolidated under DCC, enabling faster, coordinated issue resolution. 

Over 35% of digital tickets are now handled directly by the Service Desk, with over 50% First Contact Resolution (FCR). Standardized SOPs aligned with Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL), best practices have been implemented across incident, problem, and change management. Automation is scaling rapidly, halving mean time to resolve and driving SLA (service-level agreement) performance beyond industry benchmarks. DCC also provides remote support to end users across airports and corporate offices, enhancing service reach and continuity. Internal customer satisfaction has improved, with NPS scores exceeding the industry averages.

Looking ahead, DCC is embedding AI platforms to enable autonomous decision-making and further streamline operations.

Indigo became the first airline in Bharat to get a regulatory go-ahead for the Electronic Flight Folder (EFF). A digital cockpit solution, how will that help pilots and make their job easier ? 

With the introduction of EFF, all information that was previously manually recorded by our cockpit crew is now seamlessly digitized, ensuring real-time accessibility and accuracy. This transition not only streamlines operations but also enhances data integrity, allowing us to leverage comprehensive digital records for more informed decision-making. Flight crew receive the latest weather updates and flight plans, accurate Zero fuel weight data, allowing for more precise fuel uplift. This reduces arbitrary fuel uplift, minimizing avoidable fuel burn and enhancing overall fuel efficiency.

The shift from manual to digital not only saves time but also drives operational efficiency, reduces human error, and supports our commitment to sustainability and innovation in flight operations.

What’s coming up in FY 25-26 in terms of IT and digital at Indigo and Indigo Ventures? 

We have come a long way since we commenced our Digital Transformation journey in 2022. However, there is still a lot to do. In FY 25-26, we aim to significantly scale our IndiGo Bluchip loyalty program both in terms of members enrolled and the Bluchip features we offer them. Our digital platforms for both customers and employees will continue to evolve through ongoing upgrades and enhancements, in line with changing expectations and technological advancements. We remain committed to investing in cybersecurity and strengthening the resilience of our digital infrastructure to secure our operations as we go forward. Our Lab37 has a clear strategy and focus on Agentic AI and this year we plan to deliver several autonomous processes using Agentic.

In the meantime, IndiGo Ventures pipeline is flowing with start-ups who align with our strategic objectives and the plan this year is to ensure we can invest in at-least 2-3 additional start-ups aligned with our investment thesis.

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