No frills carrier, IndiGo, a subsidiary of InterGlobe aviation, has said that it would increase the number of aircraft in its fleet. IndiGo will be buying new aircraft thus pushing the aircraft count on its fleet from 181 to 200. The airline has been making rapid growth in the Indian domestic flying sector and has gained significant market share in the past few years only. IndiGo CEO Gregory Taylor informed the public about the plans of notching up the number of carriers in the fleet on Saturday.
New Airplanes to Increase Flight Count to 200
The CEO quoted that two years back, IndiGo only had 50-60 planes under its umbrella and now the same number stands at a staggering 181. The airlines has also accomplished the feat of claiming 42% market share. Its latest inclusions in the fleet are 45 A320 NEOs, 126 A320 CEOs and 10 ATRs. IndiGo presently operates in 48 domestic destinations and 9 international destinations.
Massive Growth Opportunities in Indian Aviation Industry
While speaking about the development of IndiGo, Taylor said “India is the most exciting country right now for the world of aviation. I spent most of my career in the US, where the population is around 330 million and there are 5,000 aeroplanes serving commercial transportation… In India, there are 1.2 billion people and if you add all the airlines including Indigo, there are just 500-600 aeroplanes. So, we have essentially one-tenth the number of planes (as compared to the US) serving about four times the population. So, the growth opportunity for aviation is spectacular.”
Innovation is Important: IndiGo CEO
Stressing on innovation and creativity Gregory Taylor said that organisational growth is not the only factor which is of importance. Instead, bolstering innovation is one of the most crucial things which IndiGo needs to do. He said that the company will have to take up a dominative position in the market. While talking about challenges he said that holding up the organisation’s culture is going to be one of the major challenges. He added, “Capital is not a problem but challenge is people and culture.”
Further, Raj Raghavan, IndiGo Vice President HR said that the shortage of pilots in the country has posed another problem. Further, talking about the rising fares in the aviation industry, he remarked, “We are comfortably delivering low fares if you look at what has happened to the level of fares in India since IndiGo was founded… in real terms…adjusted for inflation… the average airfares in India have gone down by 50% over a period of time.”
To recall, few weeks ago the executives had also informed in public about the improving situations of grounded aircraft which were taken out of service because of Pratt and Whitney Engine issues. Following the trouble, IndiGo has moved forward to expanding its fleet with this new development. Also, IndiGo was one of the very first carriers in India to launch attractively priced fare discounts last week along with other airlines.