IndiGo expands int'l network; starts flights to six destinations in Africa, Central Asia [see list]

After decades of turbulence in the sector with many private players shutting down, the Indian airlines sector seems to be moving towards stability. Putting the pandemic in the rearview, the aviation industry is getting back to the days of normalcy. IndiGo, India's leading airline, is making massive strides in its sector and now it is expanding its network, internationally.

IndiGo has now launched flights to six new destinations in Africa and Central Asia with 174 weekly flights between June and September 2023. With this expanded network in operation, the budget airline will be connecting a total of 32 international distinctions.

IndiGo will connect Nairobi in Kenya and Jakarta in Indonesia, with direct flights from Mumbai in late July or early August. "Delhi will get connected in August to Tbilisi, Georgia & Baku, Azerbaijan and in September to Tashkent, Uzbekistan, and Almaty, Kazakhstan," IndiGo said in a release on Friday. "

"The addition of these exciting new destinations, new direct flight routes, enhanced flight frequencies, and strategic codeshare partnerships, will help us expand our footprint across four continents with Africa and Central Asia being penetrated for the first time. With this expansion in our network, we will now be directly touching 32 international destinations (up from 26), next to our 78 domestic destinations," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said.

It's worth noting that IndiGo will finally resume daily services from Delhi to Hong Kong in August, after it had been suspended three years ago during the coronavirus pandemic.

IndiGo also has its eyes set on the US. The airline will launch connectivity to North America via codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines.

"As part of the codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines, IndiGo will soon be offering connectivity to North America, closing final regulatory approvals," the release said.

IndiGo currently connects to 33 destinations in Europe via Istanbul under the codeshare partnership. With a strong fleet of 300 aircraft, the airline is operating over 1,800 plus daily flights and connecting 78 domestic destinations and 26 international destinations. According to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation data, IndiGo held 57.5% share in the domestic aviation market.