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Mint
10-06-2025
- Business
- Mint
IndiGo is pressing ahead with a new Stretch strategy
In July last year, IndiGo, India's largest airline by fleet and market share, announced that it would induct 45 planes with dual-class seating by the end of 2025 and introduce IndiGoStretch, its business class equivalent product, on 12 routes in the country. As of May, the airline has started services to Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai and Hyderabad from Delhi and between Mumbai and Bengaluru, covering five out of 12 routes. The airline has not disclosed the 12 routes it intends to deploy the product on, but all indicators point to routes connecting the six metros, except the short-haul southern triangle of Bengaluru, Hyderabad and Chennai being connected to each other. However, the airline seems to have second thoughts now on the deployment plan. The airline took delivery of its 23rd such aircraft with 12 IndiGoStretch seats and 208 economy class seats over the weekend, marking 50 per cent of its intended target within six months of the first aircraft becoming operational. The induction rate comes at a time when most airlines are struggling amidst the supply chain constraints and rival Air India has been forced to delay its refurbishment, not once but multiple times, where it now won't be starting the programme of B777 refurbishment when it had initially announced that it would finish it by 2025. While IndiGo always had planes on order, the changes to the configuration requiring different seats have been managed despite the supply chain challenges, which have not just impacted aircraft deliveries but also seats. IndiGo is recalibrating the deployment with IndiGoStretch now available on Delhi-Bangkok flights on its own metal. The route saw deployment of the Norse Atlantic damp-leased 787 Dreamliner aircraft, which came with 56 Premium Economy seats, being sold as Stretch by IndiGo. The deployment to Bangkok will end towards the end of this month and will be replaced by IndiGo's A321 in dual-class configuration. The airline will also add IndiGoStretch on routes to Phuket as well as Dubai. This is a change from the initial announcement and takes precedence over flights on domestic routes which are not yet fully connected, with flights to Kolkata yet to see Stretch and routes like Mumbai-Chennai and Mumbai-Hyderabad yet to see Stretch operations. .. The change in plans would most likely be a reason for more demand on international sectors, tested by deploying the Dreamliner to Bangkok and a lack of consistent demand on domestic routes. The airline has maintained that passengers have received the product very well, and class-specific data on loads is never available in the public domain. However, its frequent deep discounting on Stretch and going slow on other metro routes is an indicator that it is recalibrating the deployment and looking for routes where the returns could be faster than on domestic. Later this year, both Mumbai and Delhi will get another airport. With the closure of T1 at the Mumbai airport, IndiGo may be forced to move some flights to Navi Mumbai. It will be a tough call to decide the split as more airport pairs start, which could include Mumbai-Noida, Navi Mumbai-Delhi and Noida-Navi Mumbai. Assuming its incremental capacity in most cases, will IndiGo look at more aeroplanes with dual-class configuration or will more of the metro-to-metro routes be left out? The answer could lie in the current performance of IndIGoStretch, the business-class product. IndiGo has codeshare partnerships with a lot of players now, which include the likes of American Airlines, JAL, Air France-KLM, Qantas, among others. These are premium carriers and offer Business and, in some cases, Premium Economy class as well. Over the years, the connecting passengers on IndiGo are flying the domestic leg in economy class; a handful of routes where significant connecting codeshare traffic from the front cabin is identified could become potential candidates to add IndiGoStretch. The airline has repeatedly said that it is doing well with the IndiGoStretch cabin, but like its rival Air India, the exact loads remain a mystery. Any new class of service requires time to stabilise. However, IndiGo's front cabin does not offer frills like lounge access or hot meals (except for routes to Amsterdam and Manchester). In fact, there remains only one choice of meal, unlike traditional business class offerings. The airline that revolutionised air travel in India by trying to make it a commodity before having the pricing power may well be trying to do the same with the Business class offering, to make it more affordable and appealing to aspirational travellers, which then becomes a segment in itself. IndiGo has had a razor-sharp focus on its competition since its inception. As it outpaces every other airline in the country and competes with the Air India group, it will have to reinvent itself. The older days of adding capacity to ensure that competition drains its resources may not work well with the Air India group as it digs in for the long haul, despite the cash burn. The induction of half its planned dual-class fleet in six months shows that it still has the edge in execution, which possibly no other airline in India has. Does it have the capability to make a new product work? The market will test its resolve.
The Sun
06-06-2025
- Business
- The Sun
Budget airline to launch more flights to one of the world's cheapest holiday destinations
A BUDGET airline is increasing flights to an affordable holiday destination - less than a year after they first launched. Norse Atlantic Airways started the new route from London Gatwick to Cape Town in October 2024. 3 And the huge demand for the South African route has since seen them extend the flight season as well as add more flights. Previously offering three flights a week, this was increased to four earlier this year. And the airline has now increased it even further, with six flights a week being launched. And the seasonal route previously only operated until the end of April. However the new season will operate from October 2, 2025 until May 2026. Bård Nordhagen, Norse Chief Commercial Officer, said: "Following the success of our inaugural season we see great opportunity in the South African market. 'By expanding services, we wish to show to the trade and consumer markets we are committed to this route.' Andrew Fish, Head of UK & South African Sales at Norse Atlantic Airways added: 'We are seeing exceptional momentum on this route, and this frequency increase reflects both customer confidence and Norse Atlantic Airlines' long-term growth strategy." Cape Town was named the best value long-haul holiday destination in Post Office Travel Money's Long Haul Holiday Report last year. Not only is it affordable, but don't expect any jet lag either with no time difference. Best Value Winter Sun Long Haul Destinations And it is a great winter sun hotspot, with highs of 27C in November and January. The Sun's Head of Travel Caroline McGuire recently visited Cape Town with her family. She said: "Everything in Cape Town is so accessible that we landed at 8.30am, got our hire car, checked into the hotel and were on the glorious Camps Bay beach in swimsuits by 11.30am. "Camps Bay suburb feels like a cross between Cannes and a fancy California town, with its white sandy beach, backdrop of Table Mountain and smart restaurants lining the beachfront. What is it like flying on Norse? The Sun's Head of Travel Caroline McGuire recently tried the airline's Premium Economy out. Norse doesn't do online check-in - everyone checks in at the airport. And Premium passengers are given their own lane, so we waited about five minutes before dropping off our bags and getting our tickets. Most importantly, the chairs are very roomy. With a very decent recline that allowed my whole family to get a decent night's sleep. My son pretty much slept uninterrupted from 10pm to 7am, while I snatched a manageable 5ish hours, which is far more than I've ever done before in Economy on a long haul flight. Crew hand over ear plugs, eye masks, pillows and blankets at the start of the flight, as well as headphones for the TVs (you have to pay £5 for these in Economy). Two meals are also included - I had a decent tortellini, side salad and cheesecake-type evening meal with complimentary wine, and a hot cooked breakfast, plus a croissant, yogurt and mini fruit salad. To give you an idea of price, return fares for two adults and one child in premium economy cost £3,583 to Cape Town next March, while return fares in Premium Economy on a rival airline cost £5,000. "Better still, the one-hour time difference meant we had no jet lag, so we could get stuck in straight away without the need to sleep it off. "The famous mountain was the first adventure spot on our list. "And it made for a great family day out thanks to the rotating gondolas that slowly spin to offer panoramic views on the ascent to the top. " Norse currently offers six long-haul destinations, including Miami New York, Bangkok and Cape Town. Here are some of the other new flights that have launched this year.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
IndiGo plans overseas push as it readies to fly new aircraft
IndiGo is set to expand its long-haul flight network, introducing routes to London, Copenhagen, Athens, and Siem Reap. The airline will incorporate Airbus A321 XLR and A350 aircraft in 2026 and 2027, respectively, and begin long-haul services to Amsterdam and Manchester in July using leased Boeing 787s. Tired of too many ads? Remove Ads New Delhi: IndiGo plans to mount more long-haul flights , adding London, Copenhagen, Athens, and Siem Reap, as India's largest airline by market share continues its overseas expansion plans. The budget airline-with a more than 60% share of the domestic market-will be inducting the long-range narrow-body Airbus A321 XLR aircraft and the A350 widebody aircraft-of the Airbus family in 2026 and 2027, respectively to bolster its overseas flight will make its maiden foray into long-haul flying with services to Amsterdam and Manchester starting July-using Boeing 787 aircraft leased from European carrier Norse Atlantic. So far, the carrier's network has been limited to domestic routes, and up to six-hour international flights . In the domestic sector, IndiGo plans to add Hindon, Adampur, Navi Mumbai, and Noida, increasing local destinations to 95 this fiscal airline-targeting a 600-aircraft fleet by 2030-Friday announced plans to set up a maintenance, overhaul and repair facility in Bengaluru. IndiGo has acquired 31 acres for the facility that will be able to handle both narrow body and wide body aircraft."The Indian aviation sector is at an inflection point. We are excited to lead the next phase of growth with a strategy that balances agility, scale, and regulatory compliance," said Pieter Elbers , CEO, IndiGo.
Indian Express
30-05-2025
- Business
- Indian Express
After Manchester and Amsterdam, IndiGo gears up for flights to London, Copenhagen, Athens and five more overseas destinations in 2025-26
As part of its strategy of internationalisation, India's largest airline IndiGo will be launching flights to a total of 10 new overseas destinations in financial year 2025-26 (FY26), growing its international network by a fourth to 51 destinations from the current 41. IndiGo, which had already announced flights to Manchester and Amsterdam from early July, said Friday that it intends to launch services to London, Copenhagen, Athens, Siem Ream, and four Central Asian destinations that will be announced at a later date. IndiGo will also restart services to Central Asia cities of Almaty and Tashkent, but instead of Delhi, they will be served from Mumbai. The carrier had suspended its Delhi-Almaty and Delhi-Tashkent services after Pakistan closed its airspace to Indian airlines and aircraft from April 24 as diplomatic relations between the two countries deteriorated in the wake of the terrorist attack in Pahalgam. The airline had said that the circuitous route around Pakistan to reach these cities from Delhi was beyond the range of its narrow-body aircraft. The carrier has not yet decided which Indian city or cities will the new overseas destinations will be connected with, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told reporters. Given the Pakistani airspace closure, some industry insiders see Delhi, a key hub for IndiGo, not being conducive for westward international flights. Notably, IndiGo's upcoming thrice weekly services to Manchester and Amsterdam—its first long-haul destinations—will be from Mumbai, and not Delhi. Elbers, however, said that the damp leased wide-body aircraft IndiGo will be using for most of its European routes possess the range to operate to those destinations from various large Indian cities, including Delhi and Mumbai. On the question of Pakistani airspace closure's impact on IndiGo's network development strategy, Elbers said that all airlines are considering various possible scenarios given the situation and IndiGo is no different, adding that it was not known for how long these curbs are going to be in place. Barring Athens, the destinations in Europe and the UK are expected to be operated using the Norse Atlantic aircraft that IndiGo is taking on damp lease. Flights to Athens will be operated using the Airbus A321 XLR aircraft that IndiGo expects to start inducting in the current financial year. Siem Ream and the new destinations in Cenral Asia are likely to be operated using IndiGo's mainline fleet of Airbus A320 family jets. Over the past few months, IndiGo signed agreements with Norse Atlantic Airways to damp lease a total of six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, one of which is already operating on its Delhi-Bangkok route. These aircraft will support IndiGo's debut into the European market, starting with Manchester and Amsterdam, while the airline awaits the delivery of its A321XLR planes from this year and A350-900 aircraft from 2027 onwards. As part of its 'internationalisation strategy', IndiGo plans to induct extra-long-range narrow-body Airbus A321 XLR aircraft and wide-body Airbus A350 planes to operate medium- and long-range international flights. The carrier evidently does not want to wait for these aircraft to further fuel its international expansion, and therefore decided to enter the long-haul market using damp-leased planes. The airline is understood to be in the market for more wide-body leasing opportunities. IndiGo sees significant potential in the international segment, given that Indian airlines account for 45 per cent of India's international air passenger traffic, while overseas carriers account for around 55 per cent, Elbers said. In the case of India-Europe passenger traffic, overseas carriers have an even higher share of around 70 per cent. The airline is also making adjustments to its product offering as it forays into the long-haul operations. In a first for IndiGo, the carrier will offer complimentary hot meals to all flyers on long-haul flights to Europe and the UK, which is a departure from its model of paid meals. As the airline's regular fleet of narrow-body aircraft does not have ovens on board, it serves only cold meals and instant meals prepared with hot water. It is also offering its business class product on these routes After dominating the Indian skies with a market share of over 60 per cent, IndiGo has been focusing on internationalisation, which entails a rapid expansion of its international network—including foraying into the long-haul segment—given the robust overseas travel demand from India. Over the past two to three years, IndiGo has expanded its international network by adding destinations in regions including Central Asia and the Caucasus, Southeast Asia, and Africa using its narrow-body fleet. Europe, where Air India is the only Indian carrier that operates direct flights, was expected to be the next frontier for IndiGo.
Time of India
30-05-2025
- Business
- Time of India
Europe ahoy: IndiGo to start London, Copenhagen & Athens flight by winter
File photo NEW DELHI: Indian globetrotters will soon have more airline options for their overseas trips. IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers Friday said the airline will start flights to London, Copenhagen & Athens in Europe and Siem Reap in Cambodia by this winter. India's largest airline is starting Europe flights with Amsterdam and Manchester on Norse Atlantic wet leased (hired with operating crew) Boeing 787s this July. This year, it will add 10 new international destinations to its network apart from introducing its business product Stretch on some international destinations — Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore and Phuket — that are served by narrow body aircraft. 'With one new aircraft joining the fleet every week for the next decade or so, IndiGo anticipates surpassing a fleet size of 600 aircraft by 2030. We received 58 Airbus aircraft last fiscal and crossed the $10 billion revenue mark apart from flying 11.8 crore passengers. Every three days, we fly 10 lakh passengers,' Elbers said here Friday as IndiGo is hosting the annual general meeting of International Air Transport Association (IATA). Air India has also placed an order for over 500 aircraft and is growing aggressively after Tatas took over the Maharaja in Jan 2022. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like A brain tumor threatens his life. Please save him. Donate For Health Donate Now Undo 'India is in a hurry and so is IndiGo,' he said referring to the growth of the airline. In fiscal 2015, it had 21 domestic destinations and now it is at 91 to which Hindon, Adampur, Navi Mumbai and Greater Noida will be added this year. In fiscal 2015, it had five international destinations and now it has 40 in which 10 more will be added in FY 26. 'People ask us if we are a low cost carrier (LCC) or a full service one, we are neither. We have built our own model,' the CEO said. IndiGo has signed an agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for a damp lease of six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, deliveries of which will be completed by early 2026. This fiscal it will get the long range Airbus A321XLR. The Dreamliners will be used for direct flights connecting Mumbai with Manchester and Amsterdam starting July 2025, and then flights from India to London and Copenhagen. Athens will be served by the A321XLR. 'The airline will (add) four more Central Asian destinations being added... will re-activate services to Almaty and Tashkent with new non-stop services from Mumbai. Tbilisi will also see additional capacity with non-stop connectivity from Mumbai. Direct flights to Siem Reap will be IndiGo's foray in the India – Cambodia market… after the launch of services to Langkawi, Penang and Krabi last year. The airline will also add capacity to Denpasar Bali (Indonesia) as well as Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi in Vietnam,' Elbers said. IndiGo has two maintenance facilities with hangars Delhi and Bengaluru. On Friday, it signed an MoU with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to build a maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) facility on 31 acres of land. This facility will be equipped to handle narrow-body and wide-body aircraft. 'With more than 400 aircraft in fleet and over 900 on order, a dedicated MRO facility will give a significant advantage in terms of aircraft availability, greater cost efficiencies and quicker turnaround benefiting the airline. We are keeping planes longer now and that also makes a MRO necessary,' Elbers said.
