IndiGo to launch Nashik flights from three Indian cities

IndiGo has opened reservations for flights to Nashik, Maharashtra. This will be the airline’s 103rd destination, with flights beginning to the city in mid-March.

IndiGo to Nashik!

As of 15th March 2023, IndiGo will fly from Nashik’s Ozar Airport to the following airports in India:

Ahmedabad’s Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport
Nagpur’s Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar International Airport
New Goa Manohar International Airport, North Goa

The flights on Nagpur-Nashik-Nagpur route will operate with the following schedule:

Nagpur-Nashik
Departure time: 09:15
Arrival time: 11:00
Flight time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Flight number: 6E7458
Frequency: Daily

Nashik-Nagpur
Departure time: 19:35
Arrival time: 21:25
Flight time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Flight number: 6E7457
Frequency: Daily

The flights on Nashik-North Goa-Nashik route will run with the following schedule:

Nashik-North Goa
Departure time: 11:20
Arrival time: 13:10
Flight time: 1 hour and 50 minutes
Flight number: 6E7453
Frequency: Daily

North Goa-Nashik
Departure time: 13:40
Arrival time: 15:25
Flight time: 1 hour and 45 minutes
Flight number: 6E7454
Frequency: Daily

The flights on Nashik-Ahmedabad-Nashik route will operate with the following timings:

Nashik-Ahmedabad
Departure time: 15:45
Arrival time: 17:25
Flight time: 1 hour and 40 minutes
Flight number: 6E7455
Frequency: Daily

Ahmedabad-Nashik
Departure time: 17:50
Arrival time: 19:15
Flight time: 1 hour and 25 minutes
Flight number: 6E7456
Frequency: Daily

These flights will be operated by a Hyderabad-based ATR72-600 aircraft featuring 78 standard Economy Class seats. The aircraft will operate Hyderabad-Nagpur-Nashik-North Goa-Nashik-Ahmedabad-Nashik-Nagpur-Hyderabad route. This means that one more daily frequency will be added on Hyderabad-Nagpur route to position the aircraft in Nagpur for Nashik flights.

Finally!

IndiGo is finally adding flights to Nashik. Why finally you may ask. It’s because IndiGo has long been wanting to enter Nashik but was unable to do so. The airline even held RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) rights on some routes out of Nashik but the airline handed them back due to various reasons.

The citizens of Nashik were demanding increased air connectivity since a long time and were hoping that IndiGo would someday come to the city to answer their requests. The airline has finally listened to them now.

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The airport has a interesting history

Nashik’s air connectivity has been an interesting one. Under the RCS scheme, Air Deccan started services to Mumbai and Pune from the city at the end of 2017. The services were short lived as the airline was not able to sustain for long.

In 2018, Jet Airways started thrice-weekly services to Nashik from Delhi using Boeing B737-800s. The carrier went bankrupt in April 2019, leading to suspension of all flights.

SpiceJet then entered Nashik in 2020 under RCS scheme, with the airline offering flights to Delhi, Hyderabad and Bengaluru, with Kolkata was added later. Since then, SpiceJet has shrunk its schedule at Nashik, with the airline only operating to Delhi and Hyderabad presently.

Alliance Air used to operate flight services to Ahmedabad and Pune, but the airline has pulled out of Nashik since some time. Star Air recently launched Belgaum-Nashik route. However, that service is also not operating currently, for reasons unknown.

IndiGo establishing its fort

IndiGo has one habit, one which is good in terms of optimising its network. While IndiGo is the largest carrier with unending supply of capacity, at most times, it does not enter a city which does not have air services at all. It waits for another airline to go and build a sustainable market in that city. Whenever the market is sustainable enough, it goes there and throws away the competition, which is SpiceJet in most cases. The prime example of this is Rajkot, where IndiGo has built a significant presence since it entered the city in March 2021. SpiceJet also has a habit. It is mostly not able to sustain competition from IndiGo. 😉

Is Nashik yet another city where IndiGo will do this? It remains to be seen.

While IndiGo is entering Nashik, the routes are not overlapping with SpiceJet. All of the routes are exclusive for both airlines, which is in a way good. IndiGo will fly to Nagpur, Ahmedabad and North Goa while SpiceJet operates to Delhi and Hyderabad.

If IndiGo will do its thing again, then in the next round of expansion from Nashik, Delhi and Hyderabad will certainly be on IndiGo’s route network from the city, with chances of Bengaluru also high. However, until IndiGo starts flying to the above mentioned possible routes, SpiceJet will continue to enjoy a monopoly on Delhi and Hyderabad routes. How (and until when) will SpiceJet be able to guard its operations in Nashik remains to be seen.

By opening up routes to hub stations like Delhi and Bengaluru, entire North and South India, respectively, opens up for passengers to/from Nashik, with one-stop connectivity.

Speaking of IndiGo starting operations at Nashik, the city finally has a dependable airline. IndiGo has a history of not stopping operations to a city it serves. Now all that remains to be done by the citizens of Nashik is live up to the expectations of IndiGo, after all, these services do not come under RCS scheme.

Meanwhile, IndiGo recently posted its highest ever quarterly profit.

Featured image by IndiGo

What do you think of IndiGo launching services to Nashik? Let me know in the comments section below.

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