The Indian carrier plans to debut business class seating later this year.
An IndiGo aircraft (Photo: Shutterstock)
Indian airline IndiGo has been in the news a lot recently. This time around, the traditionally all-economy class airline has announced that it will be launching a business class product soon.
Currently, the airline is the largest in India with a large fleet of 367 aircraft and over 60 percent market share in the country. It’s done this by running a tight no-frills operation that has been the envy of many other Indian operators. The experience on IndiGo is like many low-cost carriers found across the world in that the basic ticket comes with very little beyond a seat somewhere on the airplane. There are varying add-on fees for meals, luggage, and seating.
It’s done all of this in a simple all-economy configuration on its aircraft. However, the airline has ambitious aspirations and, according to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers, it’s time for the airline to offer more after years of affordable fares, on-time performance, and so-called hassle-free service.
In a statement about the new business class product, Elbers said, “We believe, as India gears up to become the third largest economy in the world, it’s our privilege to provide the New India even more options to choose from as they travel business. We are excited with this new phase and tailor-made product in IndiGo’s evolution and strategy and aim to further give wings to the nation, by connecting people and aspirations.”
No significant details about the business class cabin have been released but it is expected to make an appearance by the end of the year. The timing makes sense because next year is when the airline expects to take delivery of Airbus A321XLRs. These long-range aircraft will make flying to western Europe, Japan, and parts of Africa possible for IndiGo. The airline also has 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft on order with an option for 70 more.
IndiGo has its sights on international travel with Elbers pointing out that Indian carriers have a significant drop in market share among flights beyond the six-hour range.
IndiGo is the story of an Indian airline doing well. It maintains a talented team that has executed calculated growth over nearly 18 years to build a top-notch operation that is consistently profitable in India. That’s not an easy feat in the country. The airline is clearly looking beyond the borders of India at the rest of the world and sees immense opportunity.
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