IndiGo - India's largest airline in terms of market share - plans to introduce business class seating for the first time starting November on its Delhi to Mumbai route, and equip all flights in this route with the premium category by the end of the year.
Pieter Elbers, the CEO of IndiGo, in conversation with CNBC-TV18 said business class will be rolled out on flights from other cities like Bengaluru and Hyderabad in the next phase. The airline aims to have as many as 40 planes equipped with business class by the end of 2025. The airline is confident that the addition this new flying class will result in 'sizeable increase in revenue'.
The airline is 'tailor making' a set of routes, where these business class seats would be introduced, said Pieter Elbers.
Facilities such as 'last in, first out' during boarding and smooth airport transfers are considered as essential for a business class travellers. Domestic lounges, he said, are not being considered as passengers barely have time ahead of boarding.
Elbers said the simplicity in service that the airline has known for was to ensure its cost leadership, and IndiGo is confident of maintaining that, even as it spends more on readying the aircraft a premium class. "We have singled out what are the key aspects that are important to our customers and we will be ready to spend money on it," the CEO added.
Aside of business class category, the airline will soon be launching a loyalty programme too, the CEO confirmed.
Calling India one of the ''fastest changing countries in the world right now', Elbers said he is upbeat on the business prospects for the aviation business in India, even as it landscape gets competitive. Consolidation in the aviation business has been a natural progression, he said, pointing out that this trend has played in US and elsewhere. He highlighted India's GDP growth, development of aviation infrastructure, and a rising domestic consumption as factors that'll fuel the airline business here, both domestically, and on international sectors too.
IndiGo has lined up an ambitious fleet expansion that will effectively mean the airline will acquire one plane per week over the next decade, coming into India. CEO Pieter Elbers said for India's airlines to compete on a global scale, the country needs operators of that size. Highlighting the immense potential for international operations from India, Elbers mentioned that 65 percent of the world's population lives within 5-6 hour flight range of India.
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