The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) has granted approval to IndiGo, the largest low-cost carrier in India, to commence operations between Delhi and Almaty, Kazakhstan, starting from September 5 this year, according to reliable sources.
In line with its expansion plans, IndiGo aims to introduce three daily flights to Almaty, as it continues to strengthen its international network. The airline currently serves 26 international destinations, and with the upcoming additions, this figure will grow to 32. Furthermore, the airline has a robust pipeline of other international routes in development. This is in addition to the 78 cities the airline already serves domestically within India.
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To meet the rising demand for international travel, IndiGo recently announced the addition of 174 new weekly international flights from June to September 2023. The new services will include flights to new destinations, routes, and increased frequencies, catering to passengers traveling to, from, and via India.
In the coming months, IndiGo is set to launch direct flights connecting Mumbai to Nairobi, Kenya, and Jakarta, Indonesia, in late July or early August. Furthermore, Delhi will be linked to Tbilisi, Georgia (3x) and Baku, Azerbaijan (4x) in August, and Tashkent, Uzbekistan (4x) in September. The airline also plans to resume daily services from Delhi to Hong Kong, providing passengers with enhanced travel options.
Abhijit DasGupta, Senior Vice-President of Network Planning & Revenue Management at IndiGo, expressed the airline’s strategic approach to international expansion, stating, “As we continue to expand our presence, we will continue to add capacity in every domain – domestic & international, new frequencies on current routes, new connectivity between our existing pool of stations, new stations, and expanded reach through our partners.”
Codeshare agreements with international airlines play a vital role in IndiGo’s network expansion strategy. The airline has collaborated with several global carriers, including Turkish Airways, Qatar Airways, American Airlines, KLM-Air France, Qantas, Jetstar, and most recently, Virgin Atlantic. Through these partnerships, IndiGo has strengthened its connectivity in Europe and North America, providing travelers access to 33 European destinations and four destinations in the US via Istanbul.