Category Archives: IndiGo Airlines

IndiGo places an order for 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft

IndiGo, India’s most preferred airline, is further defining its long-term future by
strengthening its fleet with the introduction of wide-body aircraft to its fleet. Since inception in 2006, IndiGo has been successfully building its position and is now defining its future further on the path of becoming a global aviation player.

IndiGo agreed to place an order for 30 firm A350-900 aircraft, which will enable IndiGo to spread its wings further and expand its network. From the various Indian metros, IndiGo will be able to connect to the world.

The aircraft will be powered by Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engine. The mission capability of this aircraft coupled with the efficiency of the Trent XWB engine will offer IndiGo unprecedented optionality as it embarks on the next stage of its wonderful journey of addressing the rapidly evolving needs of the Indian customer and our nation.

Currently, IndiGo operates over 350 aircraft. Last year, in June 2023, IndiGo placed the largest ever single aircraft order by any airline for 500 aircraft with Airbus. With that, the outstanding orderbook of A320 Family aircraft stands at almost 1,000 aircraft which are yet to be delivered well into the next decade.

This IndiGo order-book comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft.

The exact configuration of the aircraft will be decided at a later stage, and the deliveries are expected to start from 2027.

In addition to the 30 firm A350-900 order, IndiGo has Purchase Rights for an additional 70 Airbus A350 Family aircraft, at its discretion, for possible future needs under certain conditions.

In calendar year 2023, IndiGo welcomed 100 million customers onboard its flights and as such, the airline is, quite literally, giving wings to our nation. IndiGo is amongst the fastest growing airlines in the world, and this order will allow it to strengthen its growth trajectory.

Before the end of this decade, the Indian economy is expected to grow from being the world’s 5th largest today to being the 3rd largest. Specifically in aviation, the Indian government has stated its mission to ensure that by 2030 India comes into her own on the world stage of aviation leadership by building cutting-edge infrastructure and developing the country into a global aviation hub.

IndiGo aircraft photo gallery:

Virgin Atlantic and IndiGo announce a new codeshare agreement

Virgin Atlantic and IndiGo have announced a new codeshare between the UK and India, offering seamless connections and increased opportunities for frequent flyers to earn more points than ever before.

The codeshare partnership will mean customers booking a Virgin Atlantic ticket will be able to fly on the airline’s London Heathrow to Delhi and Mumbai flights and connect to and from 7 additional cities in India. Later this year the agreement will be expanded to cover a total of 16 destinations throughout India, as well as connections onto Virgin Atlantic’s extensive US network operated via London Heathrow.

The agreement will allow Virgin Atlantic to sell seats to passengers connecting onto IndiGo flights. The initial codeshare destinations in India include Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Delhi and Mumbai. The additional destinations will include Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Vadodara, Indore and Visakhapatnam.

The new codeshare agreement will allow Virgin Atlantic’s Flying Club members to reach their rewards faster, with opportunities to earn both Virgin Points and Tier Points available on every codeshare with IndiGo.

The codeshare flights will be available this week for booking for travel beyond 27^th September, subject to government approval.

Phase one	Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Delhi, Mumbai
Phase two	Kochi, Chandigarh, Jaipur, Pune, Coimbatore, Nagpur, Vadodara, Indore and Vishakhapatnam. Connect on IndiGo to and from London Heathrow via Delhi / Mumbai

Meet our @Boeing 787 – this innovative aircraft joined our fleet in October 2014 and took us to new heights ✈️

We couldn’t help but share this sleek video from our very own @AWBPhotography 👏 pic.twitter.com/6hn7KRCBIo

— virginatlantic (@VirginAtlantic) August 14, 2022

Virgin Atlantic aircraft photo gallery:

IndiGo now exits passengers from both sides of the aircraft with a third ramp

IndiGo has launched a quicker way of exiting its passengers, using a third ramp to disembark the passengers.

IndiGo launches third ramp for disembarking passengers

Additional ramp to make disembarkation quicker by 5-7 mins

Additional ramp to help in faster turnaround time for aircraft@IndiGo6E to deploy additional ramp for disembarkation across the country in 3 months@CNBCTV18Live pic.twitter.com/dCx3sp3KTM

— Anu Sharma (@awnusharma) August 4, 2022

IndiGo aircraft photo gallery:

Air France-KLM and IndiGo codeshare takes off

Air France-KLM released this statement:

Further to the lifting of the Air Bubble Agreement in India and to the necessary governmental approval, Air France-KLM and IndiGo, India’s leading carrier, have implemented the extensive codeshare agreement announced in December 2021.

With this partnership, Air France and KLM will ultimately offer their customers access to 30 new Indian destinations and a large number of round-trip combinations for both business and leisure purposes.

Customers will be able to fly to the destination of their choice with one single booking. Flying Blue members will also be able to earn miles on all routes covered by this agreement.

On departure from their respective hubs in Paris and Amsterdam, Air France and KLM already serve four destinations in India: Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Bengaluru.

On departure from the multiple points in India, Air France and KLM will open up their global network of over 300 destinations to IndiGo customers, with more than 120 destinations in Europe and about 50 in the Americas.

KLM aircraft photo gallery:

IndiGo aircraft photo gallery:

Qatar Airways and IndiGo reactivate strategic cooperation

Qatar Airways and IndiGo, India’s largest airline, announce the reactivation of their strategic cooperation following the lifting of the suspension on international scheduled flights by the Indian government.

Qatar Airways is currently operating 190 flights per week to and from 12 destinations in India, namely Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Kozhikode, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Goa, Kolkata, and Thiruvananthapuram. IndiGo is currently operating 154 flights per week between Doha and eight cities in India and that includes Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Kozhikode and Kannur. As part of this expanded code-share agreement, Qatar Airways will be placing its marketing code on IndiGo operated flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, starting from 25 April 2022, and Chennai, Bengaluru, Kochi, Kozhikode, starting from 09 May 2022.

Both Qatar Airways and IndiGo flights are optimally connected to Qatar Airways’ hub, the award-winning Hamad International Airport in Doha. This allows passengers to benefit from seamless and convenient connections to the airline’s entire route network, including North America, Europe, Africa, and Asia/Australia.

In addition to faster and more convenient connections to and from India, members of Qatar Airways’ loyalty program Privilege Club will benefit from the strategic cooperation as members will soon be able to earn Avios on all code-share flights operated by IndiGo. Likewise, Qatar Airways’ generous baggage rules, which are especially important for international travelers apply on all code-share flights.

QANTAS and Jetstar expand Sydney gateway with new flights to India and South Korea

QANTAS Airways has made this announcement:

Qantas to launch new direct route between Sydney and Bengaluru (Bangalore) in southern India.
Planned codeshare agreement with India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo, to provide direct connections to 50 cities; new free trade agreement expected to strengthen demand.
Qantas and Jetstar to both launch new direct flights between Sydney and Seoul.

Qantas and Jetstar will grow their international network out of Sydney, with new direct routes to India and Korea taking off this year, accelerating New South Wales’ post-COVID tourism recovery.

Sydney to Bengaluru (Bangalore) direct

Qantas will operate four weekly return flights from Sydney to Bengaluru (formerly known as Bangalore) from 14 September, using its widebody Airbus A330 aircraft.

These will be the first non-stop flights between Australia and southern India by any airline and will cut almost three hours off the current fastest travel time from Sydney to Bengaluru, a growing technology and financial services hub.

With a population of 13 million people, the Bengaluru community has strong connections to Australia for both business travel and people visiting friends and relatives. These trade connections are expected to strengthen following the recent announcement of the Australia-India free trade agreement.

Qantas will continue to operate up to five flights a week between Melbourne and Delhi, making it the only airline offering direct flights between Australia and both northern and southern India.

Planned codeshare agreement set to open up India

Qantas intends to enter into a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest domestic carrier, which will give customers improved one-stop access to more than 50 Indian cities.

The proposed agreement will mean Qantas passengers can transit seamlessly from Qantas flights in Bengaluru, Delhi, or Singapore onto IndiGo services to other major Indian cities as well as smaller ones such as Pune and Goa.

Under the planned agreement, Qantas Frequent Flyers will be able to earn and redeem points on connecting IndiGo flights (QF code only) and IndiGo will recognize Qantas Frequent Flyer benefits for tiered members (Silver, Gold, Platinum and Platinum One) including priority check-in, additional baggage allowance and priority baggage.

Qantas customers traveling on IndiGo will enjoy the same baggage allowance for the entire journey as well as complimentary food and drinks.

The partnership will extend to Jetstar customers who will be able to book connecting flights on IndiGo services through its Jetstar Connect platform on jetstar.com from late April.

New direct services to South Korea

Qantas and Jetstar will both launch direct flights to Seoul’s Incheon International Airport later this year, providing business, premium leisure and low-cost travel options between Australia and Korea.

Jetstar will become the only low-cost carrier to fly direct to South Korea from Sydney, with Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner flights operating from 2 November 2022 three times per week.

Qantas will begin direct flights between Sydney and Seoul from 10 December 2022 with its A330 aircraft, marking the first Qantas scheduled service to Seoul since January 2008.

The launch of these new direct services recognizes the increasing popularity of South Korea as a must-see destination for Australians, with its rich cultural history, vibrant nightlife, and incredible food. In return, South Korean travelers – who pre-COVID travelled more frequently than any other nation in the Asia Pacific – consistently rank Australia as the top destination they want to visit.

Qantas Group international restart

Since Australia’s borders re-opened last November, led by New South Wales, the Qantas Group has carried almost 500,000 passengers on its international services across 27 international routes, with another six routes restarting next week.

Group international capacity is expected to reach more than 40 per cent of pre-COVID capacity in April.

Qantas has now added six new overseas routes in the past six months, including Perth-Rome and Melbourne-Delhi, Melbourne-Dallas Fort-Worth and Darwin-Dili as it taps into new markets.

All three new routes announced today are being supported by the NSW Aviation Attraction Fund, which is co-funded by the State Government and Sydney Airport. Kempegowda International Airport has also supported Qantas’ Sydney-Bengaluru flights.

American Airlines and IndiGo announce codeshare agreement

American Airlines issued this statement about a new codeshare partner:

American Airlines and IndiGo announce a codeshare agreement, making it easier than ever for customers to travel to India.
American’s customers will have access to 29 new routes from Bengaluru and Delhi.
AAdvantage members will earn miles when traveling on American codeshare flights operated by IndiGo.

American Airlines is opening new doors across India this fall thanks to a new codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s leading airline.

The agreement, announced today, will place American’s code on 29 of IndiGo’s domestic routes in India, providing a convenient option for American Airlines customers arriving on the carrier’s new Bengaluru (BLR) and Delhi (DEL), India, flights. The codeshare, which will require U.S. and Indian governments’ approvals, is expected to begin in October, as American launches new service between New York (JFK) and DEL on Oct. 31 and between Seattle (SEA) and BLR on Jan. 4, 2022.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline by number of passengers carried, is based in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. With its fleet of 275+ aircraft, the airline operates more than 1,100 daily flights, connecting 70 domestic destinations and 24 international destinations. Since its founding in 2006, IndiGo’s 23,000 employees have professionally served more than 300 million customers.

Top Copyright Photo: IndiGo Airlines Airbus A320-271N WL F-WWDQ (VT-IVQ) (msn 8387) TLS (Paul Bannwarth). Image: 942970.

IndiGo aircraft slide show:

GECAS arranges purchase leaseback agreements with IndiGo for 14 Airbus Neo aircraft

GE Capital Aviation Services (GECAS) along with the ventures it services have agreed to a Purchase/Leaseback (PLB) arrangement for 14 LEAP-powered Airbus neo aircraft with IndiGo. The seven A320neo and seven A321neo are scheduled to deliver between the fourth quarter of 2021 and the middle of 2022.

Currently India’s largest airline (by passengers carried and fleet size), GECAS has supported the fleet needs of IndiGo since it commenced operations in 2006.

BOC Aviation signs purchase and leaseback agreement with IndiGo for 8 new Airbus A320neo aircraft

BOC Aviation Limited (“BOC Aviation” or the “Company”) is pleased to announce that it has signed purchase-and-leaseback agreements with InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. (“IndiGo”) for eight new Airbus A320NEO aircraft. The aircraft will be powered by CFM Leap engines and are scheduled to be delivered in the second half of 2021.

Mr. Riyaz Peermohamed, Chief Aircraft Acquisition & Financing Officer, IndiGo, said: “We are pleased to further strengthen our existing relationship with BOC Aviation. The addition of these eight A320NEO aircraft demonstrates our confidence in the future growth of the aviation market in India.”

IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a market share of 53.9% as of December, 2020.

Since its inception in August 2006, the airline has grown from a carrier with one plane to a fleet of 279 aircraft today. A uniform fleet for each type of operation, high operational reliability and an award winning service make us one of the most reliable airlines in the world.

IndiGo has a total destination count of 90 with 66 domestic destinations and 24 International. This includes four destinations: Leh, Agra, Kurnool and Durgapur which are now open for sale. They include, Athens (ATH), Budapest (BUD), Brussels (BRU), Tel Aviv (TLV) , Malta (MLA), Paris (CDG) , Dublin (DUB), Copenhagen (CPH) , Prague (PRG), Vienna (VIE), Zurich (ZRH), Amsterdam (AMS),London Gatwick (LGW) and London Heathrow (LHR) .

IndiGo aircraft photo gallery:

IndiGo aircraft slide show:

Airbus marks its 1,000th A320neo Family aircraft delivery

Airbus has delivered the 1,000^th A320neo Family aircraft. The aircraft, an A321neo produced in Hamburg, Germany, was delivered to Indian airline IndiGo.

IndiGo is the world’s biggest customer for the A320neo Family with orders totaling 430 aircraft. Since its first NEO was delivered in March 2016, its fleet of A320neo Family has grown into the world’s largest with 96 aircraft operating alongside 129 A320s. In an extremely competitive aviation market, the fuel efficient A320 Family has been instrumental in IndiGo’s rise to become India’s largest airline by fleet size and passenger numbers.

The A320neo Family is assembled at Airbus’ four global sites: Toulouse, France; Hamburg, Germany; Tianjin, China; and Mobile, USA. The world’s first A320neo was delivered in January 2016 and the programme has achieved milestones every year since: the first A321neo in 2017; the first A321LR in 2018 and the launch of the A321XLR in 2019.

The A320neo program was designed with fuel efficiency in mind. Building on the A320ceo’s popularity, the aircraft delivers 20% reduced fuel burn as well as 50% less noise compared to previous generation aircraft. Seating up to 240 passengers, depending on cabin configuration, the A320neo Family features the widest single aisle cabin in the sky and incorporates the very latest technologies including new generation engines and Sharklets. At the end of September 2019, the A320neo Family had received more than 6,660 firm orders from close to 110 customers worldwide.

Photos; Airbus.