IndiGo

For other uses, see Indigo and Indigo (disambiguation).

IndiGo

IATA 6E ICAO IGO Callsign IFLY
Founded	2006
Commenced operations	August 4, 2006
Hubs	Indira Gandhi International Airport (Delhi)
Secondary hubs	Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport (Mumbai) Netaji Subhash Chandra Bose International Airport (Kolkata)
Focus cities	Bengaluru International Airport Chennai International Airport Cochin International Airport Pune International Airport Rajiv Gandhi International Airport (Hyderabad) Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport (Ahmedabad) Trivandrum International Airport
Frequent-flyer program	IndiGo Corporate Program
Fleet size	50
Destinations	31
Company slogan	Go IndiGo
Parent company	InterGlobe Enterprises
Headquarters	Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Key people	Rahul Bhatia, MD Aditya Ghosh, President
Profit	650 crore (US$143 million) (2011)
Website	www.goindigo.in

IndiGo is a private, low-cost airline based in Gurgaon, Haryana, India. Since commencing operations in August 2006, it has established itself as one of India's leading airlines using its model of efficient, low-cost operations and by attracting customers with low fares. IndiGo has the second largest share in India's domestic air travel market, only behind Jet Airways and as of October 2011 it is the only airline in India making profit. IndiGo has grown faster than any other low cost carrier in South Asia.^{[citation needed]}

In January 2011 the airline gained approval from regulators to launch international flights, followed by the first service from New Delhi to Dubai on 1 September 2011. By early 2012, IndiGo had taken the delivery of its 50th aircraft in less than 6 years. IndiGo is known to have placed the largest order in commercial aviation history during 2011, when Airbus won the US$ 15 billion deal for 180 aircraft. This deal pushed up the percentage of Airbus aircraft in India to 73%.

As of February 2012, IndiGo was expanding rapidly and was making solid profits. Kapil Kaul, the Chief Executive Officer (South Asia) for Centre for Asia Pacific and Aviation, an aviation information and consultancy firm, said that "The 100 Airbus aircraft deal signed in 2005 was a game changer as they managed to get an exceptional price and gave them the strategic ability to leverage it significantly". In comparison with Kingfisher Airlines, the problem with the silver screw in the A320's engines was fixed immediately in IndiGo's fleet while Kingfisher had to ground its aircraft and wait for workers to arrive. IndiGo focused on adding a new plane every six weeks and sometimes even faster. When asked about the reason for IndiGo's excellence, Kaul said "It’s first CEO, Bruce Ashby, was in India 18 months before the launch, and an experienced team at the management/board level has been key reason of IndiGo's success".

History

The parent company of the airline is Gurgaon-based InterGlobe Enterprises. IndiGo placed a firm order of 100 Airbus A320-200 aircraft during June 2005 in plans to commence operations in mid 2006. The airline already acquired parking lots for its brand new aircraft at both Mumbai and Delhi airports. By the time they announced the first flight, they have already scheduled their first 20 aircraft. IndiGo took delivery of its first Airbus A320-200 aircraft on 28 July 2006, nearly one year after placing the order, and commenced operations on 4 August 2006 with a service from New Delhi to Imphal via Guwahati. By the end of 2006, the airline had six aircraft. Nine more aircraft were acquired in 2007 taking the total to 15. By the December of 2010, IndiGo replaced the state run flag carrier Air India as the top third airline in India. It already had a 17.3% of the market share, behind Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.

Former US Airways Executive vice-President and Marketing and Planning Bruce Ashby joined IndiGo as its Chief Executive Officer. The airline has also acquired three parking spots in Indira Gandhi International Airport and Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport. Following Indian regulations, IndiGo received its license to operate international flights upon completing five years of operations. Its main operational hub is New Delhi's Indira Gandhi International Airport. IndiGo has been awarded numerous airline and travel industry awards. IndiGo won the Skytrax Central Asia's best low-cost airline award in 2011. On February 15, 2012, the civil aviation ministry of India has lifted the barriers on the carrier when was set over an year ago to defend the sinking national flag carrier from competition on the International routes. The ministry announced that IndiGo's proposals to fly to Dammam and Doha would get cleared immediately. IndiGo is known to have applied for permission to fly to these two cities several months ago and wasn't approved because of the barrier. SriLankan Engineering, a subsidiary of the Sri Lankan flag carrier SriLankan Airlines recently won the contract of performing heavy maintenance checks on 26 of the 50 Airbus A320-200 operated by IndiGo. SriLankan has been receiving contracts for the past 4 years to perform maintenance checks on IndiGo aircraft. IndiGo is believed to outsource its aircraft to SriLankan because of the unbearable tax imposed on the local MRO providers making them unfavorable when compared to the MRO providers in Sri Lanka.

Destinations

Main article: IndiGo destinations

IndiGo operates to 31 destinations in India and abroad with 313 flights each day. It obtained a license to operate international flights after completing five years of domestic operations. On 22 August 2011, it was announced that the airline planned to begin international services on 1 September, initially on the New Delhi—Dubai route, but over the following weeks expanding to serve Dubai, Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat and Kathmandu from New Delhi and Mumbai.

Fleet

An IndiGo Airbus A320-200 at Bengaluru International Airport

In order to reduce operational overhead, IndiGo operates only the Airbus A320 family of aircraft in its fleet. It generally purchases new aircraft. As of February 2012, IndiGo operates 51 such aircraft.

IndiGo Fleet

Aircraft	In Service	Orders	Passengers (Economy)	Notes
Airbus A320-200	51	79	180
Airbus A320neo	—	150	180
Total	51	229

The interior of an IndiGo A320

IndiGo placed an order for 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft during the 2005 Paris Air Show. The total order was worth US$6 billion, one of the highest during the show. The carrier aimed to have a fleet size of 40 aircraft by 2010, and induct all the 100 aircraft it had ordered by 2015-2016. The Indian Government has approved the airline's aircraft import plan "in principle". Indigo took delivery of its 14 Airbus A320 aircraft in 2011 and is in plans to induct more in 2012.

IndiGo signed a Memorandum of Understanding for an additional 180 Airbus A320 aircraft including 150 with the New Engine Option (NEO) on January 11, 2011. This is one of the largest orders of its kind in commercial aviation history. IndiGo is also one of the launch customers of the brand new Airbus A320neo family. The cost of the order is expected to have exceeded US$ 15 billion. These aircraft will be delivered between 2016 and 2025. In February 2012, IndiGo took the delivery of its 50th aircraft. By the time is has replaced Kingfisher as the second largest airline in India in terms of market share. Indigo is expected to take the delivery of 45 more Airbus A320-200 until 2015.

IndiGo's delivery schedule

Aircraft	2006	2007	2008	2009	2010	2011	2012	Total
Airbus A320 family	6	5	7	6	10	14	12	60
Total	6	5	7	6	10	14	12	60

Onboard services

Nirula's kathi roll meal onboard IndiGo airline

Being a low-cost carrier, all of IndiGo's flights have no Business class or First class sections. It offers only Economy class seating. IndiGo offers only complimentary mineral water to passengers on board its flights. Snacks, meals and drinks are available as a buy-on-board option. IndiGo's domestic flights allow only one piece of free check-in baggage per paying passenger, while they might charge for more. However, unlike many other low-cost carriers, IndiGo only developed one Primary hub and two secondary hubs. Aircraft often operate with a minimum set of optional equipment, further reducing costs of acquisition and maintenance, as well as keeping the weight of the aircraft lower and thus saving fuel. No in-flight entertainment systems are made available. IndiGo offers a simple fare scheme, such as charging one-way tickets half that of round-trips. Typically fares increase as the plane fills up, which rewards early reservations.

The price policy of IndiGo is usually very dynamic, with discounts and tickets in promotion. Like other carriers, even if the advertised price may be very low, it often does not include charges & taxes. Perhaps as many (or as few) as ten percent of the seats on any flight are offered at the lowest price, and are the first to sell. The prices steadily rise thereafter to a point where they can be comparable or more expensive than a flight on a full-service carrier.

Gallery

IndiGo aircraft depicting different stages of the production and use

A partially painted IndiGo aircraft is seen here, at the Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport before being delivered.   A fully painted ready-to-fly IndiGo aircraft under testing at the Hamburg Finkenwerder Airport. A puff of smoke can be seen behind the undercarriage indicating that that plane has just touched down.   An in-service A320-232 taxiing to takeoff from Mumbai Chattarapati Sivaji International Airport's neon lit runway.   A year old aircraft taxiing to gate after landing at the Bengaluru International Airport.

External links

• Official website