The Hindu Business Line : IndiGo keen on operating flights to neighbouring countries

IndiGo will have to wait till 2011 as the current Government rules only allow an airline that has completed five years of domestic operations to start flying in the international skies.

Ashwini Phadnis

New Delhi, Sept 9

The state-owned low cost airline, Air India Express, could face competition from a domestic low-cost airline.

The Delhi-based low-cost airline, IndiGo, is interested in offering passenger another low cost option of flying to neighbouring countries, the newly appointed President, Mr Aditya Ghosh, told Business Line in an exclusive interview.

No long haul

While the airline is interested in the option of offering a low-cost alternative to passengers wanting to fly within the region, it is not looking at flying long haul routes.

“Buying wide body aircraft for flying long haul destinations with multiple classes is certainly not on the horizon. I think that there is definitely a market for people wanting to fly low cost within the region,” Mr Ghosh said.

Approval awaited

IndiGo will, however, have to wait till 2011 as the current Government rules only allow an airline that has completed five years of domestic operations to start flying in the international skies.

The airline should have little trouble in flying its current fleet of Airbus A-320 aircraft to operate flights from here to Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Sri Lanka, Nepal, Bangladesh, Bhutan, the Maldives and most of the Gulf region.

Flight frequency

Meanwhile, the airline is to increase the number of daily flights being operated to 120 from the current 95.

“As the winter schedule progresses, the airline will operate 120 weekly flights up from the current level of 95. We will look to operating to new cities apart from populating the schedule that is being operated at the moment. This should not be too difficult as the airline is to take delivery of one new aircraft almost every six weeks,” Mr Ghosh said.

Globally, the winter schedule of airline starts in October and continues till March the following year.

It was in July this year that the IndiGo like several other airlines reduced flights mainly as result of rising price of aviation turbine fuel.