Despite ministry officials asking the airlines to remove hoardings, IndiGo put an advertisement display on Friday
The fight over advertisement between Air India and IndiGo has reached the civil aviation ministry, with top ministry officials asking both the airlines to not indulge in mudslinging and remove the hoardings targeted at each other. However, the 'ceasefire' did not last long with IndiGo putting an advertisement display on Friday at city's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (CSIA).
The message on the display read, "Air India's billboard behind IndiGo's counters at T1 suggests that their product is better than IndiGo's. Sorry, Air India, the Government data says…" later on comparing the on-time performance and customer complaints of both the airlines. On both the parameters, IndiGo was shown having the best while it was reverse for Air India.
The comparison, the hoarding claims, was based on August 2016 data released by aviation regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The ranking was amongst the five largest domestic airlines in India.
Aditya Ghosh, president at InterGlobe Aviation that runs IndiGo, refused to comment on the matter when contacted by dna.
Reacting to the new trigger, an Air India official said that being a government airline, they have no choice but to oblige by the ministry diktat. The ongoing ad war between national carrier Air India and top low-cost carrier IndiGo is taking a new turn every day with both sides leaving no opportunity to take pot-shots at each other.
Prior to this on Wednesday, Aditya Ghosh had tweeted that his airline was the first to start an international flight from Chandigarh. Air India officials were quick to correct that Air India Express flight to Sharjah that started on September 15 was the first international flight from the city.
The tussle between the two started last Sunday when AI put up an ad display at CSIA near the IndiGo domestic arrival counter. That display said, "Wish you a comfortable flight. Next time, fly with Air India and feel the difference."
IndiGo responded by putting a display that said, "Yes Air India, there is a difference. Says the Government". The display further had details about IndiGo's on-time performance and a lesser number of complaints while the reverse was said of AI, based on the data available from aviation regulator DGCA.
Days later, AI fought back with a new display that read, "How do some of our friends react when their passengers discover that we offer more leg space, hot meals and more luggage allowance?...With INDIGnation!"
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