IndiGo airlines planning to double size by 2030 with eye on global market, says CEO Elbers

The country’s leading airline plans to fly on multiple international routes and is expected to ink more codeshare agreements with foreign air carriers, the CEO added.

Commenting on India’s aviation ecosystem, Elbers said that it should be enhanced to match the country’s size, potential and ambition.

IndiGo global expansion plans

IndiGo is eyeing the Airbus A321 XLR long-range aircraft which can accommodate up to 220 passengers and fly 11 hours non-strop over a 4,700 km distance while consuming 30 per cent less fuel. This distance roughly covers a Delhi to London flight, according to Airbus.

Elbers said that IndiGo plans to induct the long range aircraft by 2025. “XLRs will bring us to parts of Europe, Asia and places like Athens, Seoul, Rome… that will be a wonderful expansion of IndiGo,” he added.

IndiGo currently caters to 88 domestic as well as 33 global destinations.

IndiGo codesharing agreements

Currently IndiGo has a codeshare agreement, offering seamless international travel for passengers, with the following airlines:

• Turkish Airways
• British Airways
• Qatar Airways
• American Airline
• KLM-AirFrance
• Qantas
• Jetstar
• Virgin Atlantic

Going forward, IndiGo plans to add more international destinations than domestic ones, said Elbers. “Especially, the opportunity to have more international routes, not per se destinations only,” he said. The airline has also increased flights to Singapore from 3 destinations in 2023 to 7 destinations from India at present, he added. “I think we have a good opportunity to not only add destinations but even more… adding more routes to our network”.

IndiGo became India’s first airline to carry 100 million passengers in a calendar year in December 2023. This makes IndiGo the 7th largest airline in the world by daily departures, said Elbers.

IndiGo jet fleet details

As of date, IndiGo has 358 jets. These aircraft are classified as follows:

The budget carrier plans to add a jet every week starting April 2024 with an expected rise in seat capacity in “early double digits.” IndiGo has 900 pending jets in the order pipeline.

IndiGo’s on-ground jet situation is stable despite the Pratt & Whitney engine supply constraints, with 70 aircraft grounded as of February.