India’s largest airline IndiGo will commence the services to Hanoi and Chengdu from September quarter onwards. The airline has received the clearance for the same from Vietnamese authorities. Besides Hanoi, IndiGo will also begin services to Ho Chi Min City.
IndiGo to Hasten Europe Strategy
William Boulter, IndiGo’s Chief Commercial Officer, told IANS that IndiGo will "soon putting the flight out for sale”. IndiGo will also hasten its strategy to expand in Europe via its ‘Turkish Airline’ codeshare agreement. The agreement will allow the passengers to fly via Istanbul on a 6E code. The association will provide passengers with connectivity to 12 different destinations in Europe.
IndiGo will deploy flights from Delhi to Chengdu from September 15, 2019. It will also launch services to Singapore, Bangkok and Yangon. Other international plans include the expansion of services in the Middle East to Jeddah, Dubai and Kuwait.
Earlier there were reports that IndiGo would commence the Kolkata-Hanoi operations from October 3, 2019. However, the airline has not confirmed the dates in the new announcement.
IndiGo Boasting of a 230-Aircraft Strong Fleet
IndiGo offers services to 18 international destinations, among which 11 were announced in 2018-19. “Of the total expansion this year, nearly 50% will be on international operations,” William Boulter said.
IndiGo’s fleet size is also increasing, and currently has more than 230 aircraft consisting of A320ceos, A320neos, A321neos, and ATRs. IndiGo is using the newly acquired A321 Neo aircraft on various international sectors. A321 Neo aircraft has an endurance ranging from six-and-a-half to seven-and-a-half hours.
On the domestic front, IndiGo is expanding services under the Regional Connectivity Scheme. The airline already connects around 56 domestic destinations in India.
On the financial front, IndiGo posted the highest ever quarterly net profit at Rs 1,203 crore for the first quarter of 2019-20. The company’s profit grew to Rs 1,203.1 crore from Rs 27.8 crore in the year-ago quarter. IndiGo has a market share of almost 50% in India. However, recently the airline and its management have hit a snag over a tussle between its founders.