Tag Archives: IndiGo

IndiGo to connect North Goa with Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar & Nagpur with direct flights from July 2

IndiGo will offer direct connectivity between Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar (formerly Aurangabad) and North Goa, and Nagpur, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur and North Goa with a stopover at Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

Starting from July 2, 2024, all the new flights will operate three times a week on Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The airline said that the introduction of direct flights between Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and North Goa will drastically cut down travel time from over 14 hours to just two hours.

Similarly, the new direct flights connecting Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Nagpur will trim the journey from nearly five hours to 1.5 hours. In addition to these direct routes, customers can now travel from Nagpur to North Goa via Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.

With these new flights, IndiGo is enhancing its commitment to offering smooth and convenient travel experiences for passengers while expanding its domestic network, it said.

“We are pleased to announce new flights connecting Nagpur, North Goa, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, formerly Aurangabad. These flights will enhance regional connectivity as well as trade and tourism in the region,” said Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo.
Currently, IndiGo operates more than 90 weekly flights to and from Aurangabad, more than 335 weekly flights to and from Nagpur, and more than 275 weekly flights to and from North Goa.

IndiGo to introduce Business Class on flights by year end

After flying for nearly 18 years, the country’s largest airline IndiGo on Thursday announced it will introduce Business Class in flights this year, as the carrier seeks to provide more options for passengers amid rising economic growth.

The airline will launch a “tailor-made business product”, the details of which will be unveiled around August that will also mark the 18th anniversary of the carrier.

The latest announcement also comes less than a month after the profitable carrier said it would buy 30 wide-body aircraft.

“In a ground-breaking move to redefine business travel in India, IndiGo, India’s most preferred airline, announces the plan to launch a tailor-made business product for India’s busiest and business routes,” IndiGo said in a statement.

Currently, the airline only has Economy Class. It has a fleet of more than 360 aircraft and operates around 2,000 flights daily.

Emphasising that it is time to take the next step in its evolution, IndiGo said that considering India’s soaring economy and the evolving aspirations of Indian society, it is time for IndiGo to redefine premium travel in India, increasing the availability of this service for the nation.

“It will create a desired option for many who are aiming to travel business, perhaps for the first time in their lives,” the release said.

“This product will be available on the busiest, and business routes of the nation and will be operational before the end of this year. Coming August, around IndiGo’s anniversary, more details on product offering, launch date and routes will be unveiled,” the statement said.

IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the airline is constantly looking at innovating service offerings.

“Over the past 18 years, India’s and IndiGo’s growth stories have been closely interlinked. We believe as India gears up to become the third largest economy in the world, it’s our privilege to provide the New India even more options to choose from as they travel business,” he added.

April Sees Slight Uptick in Domestic Air Travel Activity

In April 2024, the domestic air travel industry experienced a mixed scenario, transporting 1.32 crore passengers, marking a modest year-on-year increase of 2.4 percent. However, this figure fell slightly short of March’s count of 1.33 crore, hinting at a potential seasonal decline. Remarkably, compared to April 2019’s 1.09 crore passengers, there was a notable resurgence, indicating a significant recovery from pre-pandemic levels.

For the second consecutive month, Akasa Air maintained its position as the most punctual airline, boasting an 89.2 percent on-time performance across four major airports: Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. This achievement places it ahead of established competitors like IndiGo, potentially disrupting the market.

IndiGo maintained its lead with a 60.6 per cent market share, flying 80 lakh passengers in April. Air India followed with 14.2 per cent market share (18.8 lakh passengers). However, Vistara and SpiceJet experienced a decline. Vistara’s strategic 10 per cent capacity reduction (around 25-30 daily flights) to stabilise operations resulted in a drop to 9.2 per cent market share (12.18 lakh passengers). SpiceJet continued its downward trend since February 2022, dipping further to 4.7 per cent market share (6.17 lakh passengers). Akasa Air, despite being a new player, held steady at 4.4 per cent market share (5.8 lakh passengers), indicating a promising foothold.

Occupancy rates across airlines differed. Major carriers such as IndiGo, Air India, Vistara, SpiceJet, and AIX Connect enjoyed a healthy 85-91 per cent passenger load factor, suggesting strong demand on many routes. Akasa Air, however, saw a slight dip to 87.9 per cent, suggesting potential for improvement in filling seats.

Despite the traffic growth, cancellations rose slightly. The overall cancellation rate for airlines reached 0.80 per cent (around 17 basis points higher than March). The regional carrier Flybig had the highest disruption rate at 10 per cent. Vistara faced challenges with a 2.4 per cent cancellation rate due to crew shortage, impacting over 32,000 passengers. Miscellaneous reasons such as crew unavailability contributed most to cancellations (42.3 per cent), followed by technical, weather and commercial factors.

Flight-related issues led to 774 passenger complaints in April. Fortunately, airlines addressed nearly all complaints (99.7 per cent). Flight delays affected around 1.09 lakh passengers, while cancellations impacted over 32,000. (Source The Hindu Business Line)

Air India reduces domestic baggage allowance (Up to 10kg)

 

Air India has issued a trade notice and updated its baggage policies on its website for tickets issued starting May 2, 2024. The revised baggage allowances align with market standards and regulations, reflecting adjustments in various fare classes:

• Economy Comfort (S, T, U, L fare classes): 15 kg baggage allowance (previously 20kg)
• Economy Comfort Plus (G, W, V, Q, K fare classes): 15 kg baggage allowance (previously 25kg)
• Economy Flex (H, M, B, Y fare classes): 25 kg baggage allowance (unchanged)
• Business Comfort Plus (Z, J fare class): 25 kg baggage allowance (previously 35kg)
• Business Flex (D, C fare classes): 35 kg baggage allowance (previously 40kg)
The airline communicated these changes through a trade announcement, emphasising that older tickets issued before May 2, 2024, will remain valid under the previous terms. Notably, Air India allows for multiple bags within the baggage allowance, distinguishing itself from competitors like IndiGo, which permits only one bag up to 15kg.

In summary, Air India has revised its baggage allowances for most fare classes, reducing allowances by 5-10 kgs for economy and business class tickets issued on or after May 2, 2024.

IndiGo announces multi-hub strategy for direct international flights

 

IndiGo has charted a clear path forward with its recent order of wide-body aircraft. The airline aims to establish multiple hubs across the country, offering direct connections to distant destinations from various metro cities using Airbus A350 and Airbus A321 XLR (extra long range) aircraft, slated to join its fleet starting from 2025.

The Airbus A321 XLR planes are envisioned for non-stop flights lasting 7-8 hours, catering to routes to Europe and the Far East countries.

During a conference call discussing the induction of wide-body aircraft, Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, highlighted the potential for various strongholds across India, including Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru. Given India’s geographical position, the airline is optimistic about facilitating overlapping and unique connections through different metro cities.

Elbers emphasised the need for Indian carriers to compete effectively in international markets beyond 5-6 hours, where their market share has seen a decline. IndiGo’s firm order of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft, placed on April 25, is poised to address this challenge. These aircraft will enable non-stop flights to destinations in Europe, the UK, the US, and Australia from India.

IndiGo’s decision to order the A350-900 aircraft aligns with the government’s ambition to establish global aviation hubs in the country. The airline also secured purchase rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 family aircraft, underscoring its commitment to long-term growth and international expansion.

The induction of these wide-body aircraft reflects IndiGo’s strategic vision to deploy 30% of its seat capacity on international routes, up from the current 27%. The airline plans to maintain cost leadership in its wide-body product while exploring opportunities to enhance passenger experience.

With the introduction of the A350-900, powered by Rolls-Royce’s Trent XWB engines, IndiGo aims to provide direct connectivity to passengers, catering to their evolving travel aspirations. The aircraft’s long-range capabilities and spacious design are poised to elevate the airline’s service offering.

India’s wide-body fleet is relatively small compared to other major aviation markets globally. IndiGo’s ambitious fleet expansion plans aim to address this gap and bolster the country’s connectivity on both domestic and international routes.

With a fleet of over 350 aircraft, IndiGo continues to expand its network, connecting more than 85 domestic and around 30 international destinations. The addition of 30 wide-body A350 aircraft underscores the airline’s commitment to meeting the growing demand for air travel in India and beyond.

European aviation expert Isidro Pablo Porqueras Orea joins IndiGo as Chief of Transformation

InterGlobe Aviation, the parent of the country’s largest airline IndiGo, has appointed Isidro Pablo Porqueras Orea as the Chief of Transformation.

His appointment is effective from Monday, according to a regulatory filing.

Orea has 25 years of professional experience in different functional areas such as operations, commercial, strategy and finance. He was with European airline Volotea from 2016-2023 and served as their COO for the last 5 years. His prior work experience also includes working with the likes of Urdsa, Uralita and Mckinsey & Company, the filing said.

Amid some senior executives set to leave their current roles, IndiGo, last week, said it follows a fair process of succession readiness.

The carrier’s Senior Vice President Engineering S C Gupta and Senior Vice President Inflight Services Suman Chopra will be leaving their current positions. They have been with IndiGo since 2006 when it started operations, according to executives.

Against this backdrop, IndiGo said retirement or superannuation is a natural process in any organisation, and that at senior levels, these are also personal decisions.