By Staff Correspondent
IndiGo, India’s largest airline by passengers carried and fleet size, has set its sights on expanding its overseas routes via Istanbul, Turkey. The airline, which has maintained a dominant share in the domestic market, plans to use wide-body Boeing 777 aircraft to offer flights to three destinations in Spain – Barcelona, Madrid, and Valencia – via Istanbul. Vinay Malhotra, IndiGo’s Global Sales Head, stated that the airline’s partnership with Turkish Airlines would go beyond Europe, with more points to be added soon.
IndiGo’s code-share agreement with Turkish Airlines allows passengers to fly to various destinations in India, Turkey, and beyond. Presently, the airline has wet-leased two Boeing 777 aircraft from Turkish Airlines to service routes between India and Istanbul, with regulatory clearance to lease more aircraft.
Malhotra said that the Boeing 777s had received a healthy passenger response. He added that the airline’s long-haul strategy was evident from its code-share partnership with Turkish Airlines and that it was looking to service routes between India and various markets in Central Asia. The airline operates approximately 1,800 flights daily, of which 10 percent are international.
IndiGo currently offers flights to 27 European destinations via Istanbul, with onward flights from Turkey operated by its code-share partner, Turkish Airlines. The airline operates direct flights from India to 26 international and 78 domestic destinations. It has seven code-share partnerships with Qatar Airways, Turkish Airlines, Qantas, Air France, KLM, American Airlines, and Virgin Atlantic.
Malhotra cited that less than 100 million people in India had passports and that there was enough room for everyone to grow in this market. He added that as more people get passports, they would want to travel to overseas destinations.
The airline is awaiting the delivery of 499 aircraft, including A321XLRs, after operating flights on a fleet of 300 Airbus A320Neos and ATR aircraft until now
