Budget airline IndiGo is aiming for a wider share of the sky by reaching out to Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia over the next few months, multiple officials told Moneycontrol.
"IndiGo has sought to start a direct, thrice-a-week service between Chennai International Airport and Penang International Airport in Malaysia and another direct, same frequency service between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport in Mumbai to Langkawi International Airport in Malaysia from December 20, besides a daily service between Indira Gandhi International Airport in Delhi and Manas International Airport in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, from February 15, 2025," detailed a senior government official.
IndiGo has received approvals from the governments of India, Kyrgyzstan and Malaysia to start operations and the airline is now finalising the airport slots and timings.
Emails sent to IndiGo remained unanswered till the time of publishing this story.
In its post-earnings conference call last week, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers stressed on the flight services to Penang and Langkawi in Malaysia and said that its newly launched loyalty programme will help the airline garner a higher market share of international customers.
The proposes flights are part of IndiGo's plans to expand its international reach and enhance its cargo operations in the coming years as part of a broader strategy to position India’s largest airline as a leading global carrier by 2030.
Elbers said the airline plans to grow its international destinations to 40 from 20 by the end of this financial year, targeting emerging markets that are not yet well-travelled by Indian passengers. The airline flies to 35 international destinations through direct flights as of September 30.
IndiGo is expanding its international network with new routes and higher frequencies to Singapore, Kuwait, and Sri Lanka from October. It will introduce a daily direct flight from Coimbatore to Singapore from October 27 and a new service to Sir Seewoosagur Ramgoolam International Airport in Port Louis, Mauritius, from November 19.
Flight frequencies will increase from Chennai to Singapore and Colombo from October 15, and from Mumbai to Kuwait from October 29. This expansion aims to meet the rising demand for business, luxury, and leisure travel during the festive and holiday seasons.
Vinay Malhotra, head of global sales at IndiGo, had recently said that the airline plans to step up its connectivity to Singapore from 72 weekly flights from nine Indian cities, to Colombo from 37 weekly flights from four Indian cities, and to Kuwait from 34 weekly flights from five Indian cities. These expansions aim to firm up bilateral economic and cultural ties, boosting trade and tourism.
IndiGo added international flights from Mangaluru, Coimbatore and Tiruchirappalli to Abu Dhabi in August. With this, IndiGo operates nine weekly, non-stop flights to Abu Dhabi from 13 Indian cities.
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