Low-cost-carrier IndiGo is making bold moves to establish itself as a hub carrier, connecting South-East Asia, Africa, and Central Asia.
Abhijit DasGupta, Senior Vice-President of Network Planning & Revenue Management, emphasised the potential within a six-hour travel distance around India.
“We see a solid opportunity to be a hub. We’ve said this earlier, too, that our entire fleet and growth strategy is driven by the belief that there is growth potential within six hours of India. This is driven by India’s consumption patterns, demographic, and income bracket,” he said.
The airline plans to add six new destinations across Asia and Africa to its network. Starting August 5, 2023, IndiGo will offer direct flights from Mumbai to Nairobi, Kenya, and Jakarta, Indonesia. In addition, Delhi will be connected to Tbilisi, Georgia and Baku, Azerbaijan in August, while Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Almaty, Kazakhstan will be added in September, pending necessary approvals. Further, it will soon resume daily services from Delhi to Hong Kong.
Besides, weekly flights to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, it operates frequent flights to Bangkok, Thailand. IndiGo also connects Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket, Thailand, with multiple weekly flights. Kolkata serves as a departure point for flights to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh in Vietnam. Additionally, it operates an extensive network of flights to Singapore.
DasGupta said India’s favourable geographic position allows the airline to position the country as a connecting point to the west and east. However, he acknowledged competition in the industry and emphasised its active collaboration with the ecosystem to drive both point-to-point growth from Indian markets and domestic flow.
IndiGo’s ambitious plans extend beyond passenger traffic. The airline has regular freighter operations to West Asia from Mumbai, and is gradually increasing its Kolkata-based aircraft’s utilisation with flights to Yangon, Hong Kong, and Vietnam. “As IndiGo prepares to bring its two freighter aircraft fully on-stream, it is working on building a schedule that caters to its airline operations and customers’ needs. A third A321P2F freighter aircraft is scheduled to join the fleet in the third quarter of FY24,” he said.
With these expansions, IndiGo’s international destinations will grow from 26 to 32, in addition to the 78 cities it already serves on domestic routes.
IndiGo recently placed a 500-aircraft order at the Paris Airshow, which is expected to give a boost to its international expansion plans. According to Mike Arnot, an airline analyst with Cirium, IndiGo is well-positioned in the Indian market, with 63 per cent of the total domestic seats and the lowest fares on offer. “Their focus for growth as stated will be international markets; as of now, only 5.5 per cent of their flights go outside of India,” he said.