IndiGo to introduce 6 new routes this summer; check details

Ahead of Summer, IndiGo, the country's largest air carrier, is planning to introduce six new routes with effect from March 31, 2024. The airline will operate between Ahmedabad-Rajkot, Ahmedabad-Aurangabad, Bhopal-Lucknow, and Indore-Varanasi from March 31. The airline has also announced direct flights between Kolkata-Srinagar and Kolkata-Jammu from April 10 and April 21, respectively. Flights between Kolkata and Jammu via Srinagar are also set to begin from April 10, 2024, the airline says.

"We are pleased to announce new routes to our forthcoming summer schedule, in response to the surging demand for travel. As the vacation season approaches, we endeavour to offer even more options to explore new destinations within India by IndiGo. We are confident that these routes will not only enhance access & travel experiences but also bolster economic ties across various states. IndiGo will continue to deliver on its promise of affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel experience across an unparalleled network," says Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales, IndiGo.

According to a report by CAPA, domestic air passenger traffic is expected to reach 860 million by 2030, thus presenting a significant opportunity for economic growth. 

IndiGo, which currently commands a 60.2% market share, carried 79.09 lakh passengers in January this year. In 2023, the budget carrier witnessed a 23% increase in passenger traffic and carried 100 million passengers. In 2022 the airline flew 78 million passengers, which is slightly above pre-Covid-19 levels.

As passengers' appetite for travel continues to increase, the airline aims to double its size by the end of this decade, transforming it from a domestic carrier to a global aviation giant. Last year, the airline’s parent InterGlobe Aviation placed a historic order of 500 new aircraft with Airbus. This order will give it a steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035.

IndiGo, which is Asia's largest carrier in terms of capacity, operates over 300 aircraft and has previous orders of 480 aircraft which are yet to be delivered. With this additional order of 500 aircraft for 2030-2035, IndiGo's order book has almost 1,000 aircraft.

In 2023, the 17-year-old carrier added more than 20 international routes to its network. In the October to December quarter of FY24, the low-cost carrier reported a 111% year-on-year growth in its net profit at ₹2,998.12 crore, as against ₹1,442.6 crore in the same period last year. The company attributed higher revenue, strong demand and higher fares as the reasons behind an increase in December quarter profit.

Meanwhile,  the company’s revenue from operations surged 30.3% YoY to ₹19,452.15 crore in the December quarter, as against ₹14,993 crore in the same period last year. The total income of IndiGo jumped 30.2% year-on-year (YoY) to ₹20,062 crore, including other income of ₹610 crore, from ₹15,410 crore in the corresponding period last year. For the quarter, passenger ticket revenues were ₹17,157 crore, an increase of 30.3% and ancillary revenues were ₹1,760 crore, up 23.8% compared to the same period last year.