As I write this blog on an IndiGo flight on 2nd August 2024, I can’t help but wonder how far this airline has come in 18 years. 18 years is not a short period of time. What started as a dream has turned into a workhorse of Indian aviation.
Having just read Mr. Tarun Shukla’s book on IndiGo – “Sky High: The IndiGo Story” – I now know much more about what lies ahead for India’s largest airline.
IndiGo, up until now, has had a simple and if I may say “streamlined” business model. Aviation in India is a highly regulated industry. It’s not as easy to operate an airline in India as it is in some countries. Surely, there are challenges in every business but running an airline in India is not at all easy in this challenging environment. IndiGo deserves all the credit for what it has achieved in its journey up until now.
In my opinion, IndiGo is now not “the” airline it once was. I distinctly remember one time when I went to Goa with my family. For the return flight, I requested my Dad to book a flight on IndiGo because in my mind, it was the “coolest” airline at the time out there and I was excited to fly with them.
Fast forward to 2024, it seems like IndiGo has lost that “cool” factor. Now, the airline is not able to market its “On-Time Performance” it once was able to. I don’t know how important this is but IndiGo’s inflight meal game is not so strong now-a-days. If you look at Akasa’s Cafe Akasa menu, you instantly notice that there are so many different options to choose from. IndiGo is still stuck in sandwiches and ready-to-eat meals era. What I want to say is IndiGo will have to up its game at every customer touchpoint and make the passenger look forward to an IndiGo flight.
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After Jet Airways collapsed in April 2018, there’s always been a gap in the domestic market for premium seats. And now with Air India merging with Vistara, that gap will only widen. Surely, the number of premium seats will not decrease but there will only be one full service carrier in the market. IndiGo knows this and that’s why, it has announced that it will introduce a Business Class product, an announcement of which we can expect anytime now.
Tata Group poses a new challenge for IndiGo. IndiGo’s network is currently unbeatable. However, the direction in which Air India and Air India Express are heading, it’s certainly a concerning situation for IndiGo. With limited scope for expansion in domestic market, the carrier is now looking at expanding its international network. It has already added the likes of Nairobi, Bali, Tashkent, Almaty, Tbilisi, Baku and Jakarta in the last year. With Airbus A321XLRs (Extra Long Range) set to join the airline’s fleet starting next year, this will open a whole new set of destinations for IndiGo. Eastern Europe and Western Australia are easily within A321XLR’s range so we might see the airline add cities in those areas to its network. In 2027, the airline is slated to take delivery of Airbus A350 aircraft, of which 30 are on order. The A350s will open an even larger set of destinations, with North American and Far East markets easily within A350’s range.
IndiGo has had a dream run up until now. The challenges that lie ahead for the airline are big. However, as with all the other times, I hope IndiGo wades through these tough waters and comes shining through.
Happy 18th Birthday, IndiGo! You continue to make every Indian proud with what you have achieved in all these years. Here’s to blue skies and tail winds ahead for the coming years.
P.S. I don’t write in this style too often. If you have any suggestions, do let me know. If you liked reading this blog, do like, comment and share with your friends and family. Thank you!
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