TravTalk India Online Magazine
Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, in an exclusive interaction with TRAVTALK, shares the airline’s international vision, upcoming route map and the role of partnerships and the travel trade in IndiGo’s transformation from a regional leader to a global force.
Nisha Verma
“This is India’s time!” said visibly energised Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, at the 81st IATA Annual General Meeting in Delhi, which marked a historic moment not just for India’s aviation sector but for IndiGo, which played host for the first time. “It was an honour to be the host airline for IATA AGM 2024, especially with it returning to India after 40 years. It is a great moment of pride for us and for Indian aviation,” he said.
The event brought over a thousand delegates from global airlines, regulators, and aviation stakeholders under one roof. For Elbers, the timing could not have been better. “We are transforming IndiGo into a global aviation player, and this was a great platform to show that,” he shared.
The long-haul map
One of the strongest signals of IndiGo’s intent to go global is its expanding medium and long-haul international network. At a press conference before the IATA AGM, Elbers revealed that they are planning to add 10 new international destinations – in all directions from India – to IndiGo’s network in the year to come, taking the total count to over 50 international destinations.
IndiGo has already announced commencement of long-haul operations with direct flights connecting Mumbai with Manchester and Amsterdam starting July 2025, respectively. As IndiGo’s fleet of damp leased B787s expands later this year, the airline is planning to expand its long-haul network to London and Copenhagen. With the extended range capabilities of the A321XLR aircraft joining the IndiGo fleet, it will allow to further build its European network with direct connectivity to markets where Athens is planned to be introduced over the course of the coming year.
Four more Central Asian destinations will also be added to IndiGo’s network and the airline will also re-activate services to Almaty and Tashkent with new non-stop services from Mumbai. Tbilisi will also see additional capacity with non-stop connectivity from Mumbai. Direct flights to Siem Reap will be IndiGo’s foray into the India-Cambodia market, and yet another destination connected in Southeast Asia after the successful launch of services to Langkawi, Penang and Krabi last year. The airline will also add capacity to Denpasar Bali (Indonesia), as well as Ho Chi Mihn City and Hanoi in Vietnam. While most routes will be operated under the codeshare umbrella, they are tailored for Indian leisure travellers, the Indian diaspora, and increasingly, outbound MICE traffic.
Trade first
Elbers also stressed the airline’s commitment to the travel trade community. “We have our own portal for agents, where they can log in and do their bookings. Across the world, the bookings are becoming online, and the same is going for India, but there are many traditional agents, and we keep working with them. Agents can connect directly on our website, which makes it offline as well as online,” he underlined. And while the skies are getting busier and competition stiffer, IndiGo is clearly not in a rush—it’s planning carefully, executing steadily and bringing the trade along for the ride.
