IndiGo CEO confident in bridging India's long-haul flight gap

IndiGo's CEO, Pieter Elbers, expressed confidence in the airline's recent order of 30 wide-body aircrafts, foreseeing a pivotal role in India's aviation landscape.

Emphasizing the significance of their recent order for Airbus A350-900s, Elbers highlighted the potential for enhanced connectivity across global destinations with major Indian cities like Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru, positioning India as a global aviation hub.

In a conference call today, Elbers addressed analysts and journalists, underlining the strategic importance of venturing into long-haul markets where Indian carriers have traditionally lagged.

"Indian carriers are notably absent in the wide-body, long-haul market beyond 5-6 hours. We aim to compete with established global aviation hubs," remarked Elbers.

IndiGo's decision to order 30 Airbus A350-900s, alongside securing purchase rights for 70 more, marks a significant shift for the airline known for its all-economy, short-haul flights.

This move positions IndiGo alongside Air India and Vistara in the wide-body segment, aligning with government initiatives to bolster India's status as an aviation hub.

Elbers outlined IndiGo's strategic growth plans, aiming to increase its international seat capacity from 27% to 30%, with further expansion anticipated through the introduction of A321XLR and A350 aircraft in the coming years.

Currently, IndiGo operates as the largest domestic and second-largest international airline in India, with a fleet of around 2,000 flights per day.

With aspirations to expand its fleet to 550-600 aircraft by 2030, IndiGo anticipates leveraging synergies between the A320 family and A350 models in terms of methodologies, by maintaining cost efficiency. 

IndiGo currently stands as India's largest carrier, holding a fleet of approximately 370 planes, all of which are narrowbody aircraft.