IndiGo Sets Sights on Doubling International Operations by 2030: CEO

According to its CEO Pieter Elbers, IndiGo wants to match India’s potential for economic growth by doubling in size by 2030 and adding additional domestic and international routes and destinations.

The largest airline in the nation, with a little over 60% domestic market share, is also placing a huge wager on A321 XLR aircraft, which are anticipate to join its fleet “somewhere in 2025,” in an effort to increase its global footprint.

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IndiGo Forecasts Double-Digit Seat Capacity Growth Despite Supply Chain Challenges

The CEO of IndiGo stated that one jet will arrive each week and that the airline’s capacity guidance for seat capacity is “early double digits” for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins in April 2024.

Elbers underlined that despite issues with the Pratt & Whitney engines and the supply chain, the airline is taking several mitigation steps that are paying off and that the Aircraft on Ground (AOG) situation is “stable.”

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Plans More Codeshare Partnerships

According to the airline, there were roughly seventy-odd AOGs in February. The 17-year-old airline currently flies to 33 foreign and 88 domestic locations. It possesses a fleet of almost 360 aircraft.

“The ambitious target is to have an airline by 2030 that is twice as big as it is today, with a global footprint and reach as well,” Elbers stated, adding that further codeshare agreements should be anticipated. IndiGo’s current codeshare partners include Turkish Airways, British Airways, Qatar Airways, and more.

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CEO Highlights Focus on Increasing International Routes, Not Just Destinations

“It is obvious that in the future, there will be a lot of new foreign locations. We’ll have some local, but mostly foreign, I think. In particular, the chance to have more international routes, not just certain destinations,” he stated, giving the example of the expanded services to Singapore.

He stated that, around a year ago, IndiGo operated flights to Singapore from three locations; currently, it serves seven Indian cities. “I believe we have a great chance to expand our network’s destinations and add even more routes.”

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Open to Wide-Body Planes, New Classes

Elbers responded, “We keep all options open and we evaluate, we take decisions for IndiGo that are matching the needs of the market and IndiGo at the appropriate time,” to a question about whether the airline will pursue wide-body aircraft as well as additional classes.

The A321 XLR aircraft, which the airline expects to add “somewhere in 2025,” he also noted, will aid in the carrier’s further range expansion.

“XLRs will enable us to visit regions of Europe, Asia, and cities such as Rome, Seoul, and Athens… it will be an amazing way to grow IndiGo,” he continued. The airline has placed orders for almost 900 aircraft.

358 aircraft total, including 31 A320 ceos (11 damp lease), 184 A320 neos, 94 A321 neos, 44 ATRs, 3 A321 freighters, and 2 B777s, were in the carrier’s fleet by the end of December 2023.