Rahul Bhatia
Rahul Bhatia is an Indian Businessman , Co-founder and Non-executive director of IndiGo. He was the Founder & Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises. IndiGo airline started thier operations in August 2006 . The listing of the airline on the Indian stock exchanges BSE and NSE, Forbes magazine declared him the twentieth richest person in India.
Rahul Bhatia was born in 1955 in India. He attained a Bachelor of Engineering degree from University of Waterloo. Instead of being a student at the University of Waterloo, he worked for two years with IBM. He wanted to go for PhD and become a teacher. He however was also doing some Information technology work for United Airlines and in 1985, in the airlines’ head office in Chicago, and met Rakesh Gangwal with whom he later co-founded IndiGo in 2006.
Bhatia, as a student worked for two years with IBM, where he was involved in the pilot project to establish a fully automated screen manufacturing plant. His father, Kapil Bhatia used to run a travel agency by the name Delhi Express that fell into trouble when Rahul Bhatia was living in the US. He returned to India and started his career as a businessman by establishing InterGlobe Enterprises in 1989, dealing in Air transport management.
InterGlobe Enterprises is a privately held corporate group that, apart from holding the airline, also holds travel-related businesses, a chain of hotels in JV with AccorHotels and three restaurants in Gurgaon, Haryana. Along with Rakesh Gangwal, Rahul Bhatia co-founded IndiGo which commenced operations in August 2006.
He is currently serving as the non-executive director of IndiGo and Group Managing Director of InterGlobe Enterprises.
Also, Rahul Bhatia and his father wanted to start an airline for many years and persuaded Rakesh Gangwal for years to co-found the airline. Rakesh initially had no interest in starting an airline.Over dinner at Bhatia’s house one evening he agreed to work with them to launch the airline.
IndiGo placed a firm order for 100 Airbus A320-200 aircraft in June 2005 with plans to commence operations in mid-2006. The airline made delivery of its first Airbus aircraft on 28 July ,2006 and the operations commenced. On 4 August 2006 the first flight operated from New Delhi to Guwahati.
“Look, you guys decide how much money you want to lose”. I will work with you. I don’t want anything of this business. Will give you all my knowledge and whatever experience I have. Once you have lost that money, shake hands and remain friends” — Rakesh Gangwal to Rahul & Kapil Bhatia.