IndiGo eyes expansion with 500 Airbus planes already on order

The country's largest airline IndiGo on Friday announced its partnership with Turkish Airlines to expand its reach in Europe. The airline said that it would be receiving 500 additional aircraft already on order from aircraft maker Airbus for this proposed expansion, an ANI report said.

Vinay Malhotra, Head of International Sales of IndiGo, said the new expansion plan will help improve passenger services from India to Istanbul and to Europe.

He added the airline is currently flying 1,800 flights a day and 10 per cent of them on international routes.

IndiGo, which has more than 300 planes in its fleet, currently operates to 76 domestic and 26 international destinations. Flights to two more domestic destinations -- Nashik and Dharamshala -- have also been announced.

As per the airline officials, IndiGo has ordered aircraft from European giant Airbus, which has recently signed a mega deal with Tata-owned Air India.

"IndiGo has around 300 aircraft and has ordered 500 more aircraft for the expansion plan. Currently, we are flying 1,800 flights a day, and 10 per cent of them are on international routes. Our current international flights are concentrated around the Indian sub-continent and some other countries around. The farthest we travel is to Turkey and Istanbul. We have been very keen to fly further and that's why a partnership with Turkish airlines. This is a code ship partnership which allows us to penetrate Europe like never before," Malhotra said.

Talking about the codeshare agreement with the Turkish airlines, Malhotra said the IndiGo will be able to carry passengers from India to Istanbul and from Istanbul to beyond.

"We are having 27 points precise in Europe which covers the UK, France, Italy, Ireland, Austria, Switzerland, and so many more points. These points have multiple frequencies with Turkish airlines and with our partnership with them as a codeshare we are able to carry passengers from India to Istanbul and from Istanbul to beyond. Within India too with our 76 online points, we are able to funnel people from all over India into Delhi and Mumbai further to Istanbul and then beyond to Europe," he said.

Talking about the competition in the aviation sector, Malhotra said: "Competition is always welcomed. India has currently approximately 7.3 per cent less than 100 million people who have a passport. As Indian people get a passport the first thing they want to do is fly overseas. There is huge potential for travellers who are aspiring to travel within India or overseas. So we are in the right place at the right time to take people beyond the borders of India."

Earlier, IndiGo’s CEO Pieter Elbers said that there is a lot of growth ahead in the Indian market that "justifies multiple airlines".

“There is a lot going on in the Indian aviation landscape... The fact that Indian aviation is getting into the next stage, including the consolidation being done under the Air India group, is a natural evolution of the market,” he told PTI in an interview.

"I look to the competition. It is good to have competition but it will be a competition that is going hand-in-hand with the growth of the market," Elbers said.

(With agency inputs)

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