IndiGo

This article is about the airline. For the color, see Indigo. For other uses, see Indigo (disambiguation).
IndiGo
IATA ICAO Callsign
6E IGO IFLY
Founded 2006
Commenced operations 8 April 2006 (2006-04-08)
Hubs
Secondary hubs
Focus cities
Fleet size 101
Destinations 40
Parent company InterGlobe Enterprises
Headquarters Gurgaon, Haryana, India
Key people Rakesh Gangwal
Rahul Bhatia, MD
Aditya Ghosh, president
Revenue Increase ₹143.2 billion (US$2.1 billion) (FY2015)[1]
Net income Increase ₹13.04 billion (US$190 million) (FY2015)[1]
Website book.goindigo.in

IndiGo is an Indian Low-cost airline headquartered at Gurgaon, India. It is the largest airline in India in terms of passengers flown with market share of 36.5% as of September 2015.[2] The airline offers more than 681 daily flights connecting to 40 destinations including 5 international destinations with its primary hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi.[3][4] It presently operates a fleet of 101 aircraft belonging to the Airbus A320 family. In 2014, IndiGo carried 21.4 million passengers in the domestic sector alone.

History

IndiGo was set up in early 2006 by Rahul Bhatia of InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal, a United States-based NRI. InterGlobe holds 51.12% stake in IndiGo and 48% is held by Gangwal's Virginia-based company Caelum Investments.[5] IndiGo placed a firm order for 100 Airbus A320-200 aircraft in June 2005 with plans to commence operations in mid-2006.[6] IndiGo took delivery of its first Airbus A320-200 aircraft on 28 July 2006, nearly one year after placing the order, and commenced operations on 4 August 2006 with a service from New Delhi to Imphal via Guwahati. By the end of 2006, the airline had six aircraft. Nine more aircraft were acquired in 2007 taking the total to 15. By December 2010, IndiGo replaced the state run flag carrier Air India as the top third airline in India. It already had 17.3% of the market share, behind Kingfisher Airlines and Jet Airways.[7] By early 2012, IndiGo had taken the delivery of its 50th aircraft in less than six years. In 2011, IndiGo placed an order for 180 aircraft Airbus A320 aircraft in a deal worth US$15 billion which pushed up the percentage of Airbus aircraft in India to 73%.[8]

As of 2012, IndiGo was expanding rapidly and was the only profitable airline in India. It replaced Kingfisher as the second largest airline in India in terms of market share. IndiGo strongly adheres to a low-cost model, buying only one type of aircraft and keeping operational costs as low as possible along with an emphasis on punctuality. IndiGo added a new plane every six weeks and sometimes even faster. In December 2011, the DGCA highlighted problems resulting from the expansion could impact safety.[9] On 17 August 2012, IndiGo became the largest airline in India in terms of market share (27%) surpassing Jet Airways, six years after operations commenced.[10]

In January 2013, IndiGo was the second fastest growing low-cost carrier in Asia behind Indonesian airline Lion Air.[11] In February 2013, following the civil aviation ministry announcing that it would be allowing IndiGo to take the delivery of only five aircraft that year, reports suggested that the airline was in plans to introduce low-cost regional flights by setting up a subsidiary. However, IndiGo announced that it actually plans to seek permission from the ministry to acquire four more aircraft, therefore taking the delivery of nine aircraft in 2013.[12] In August 2013, the Center for Asia Pacific Aviation ranked IndiGo among the 10 biggest low-cost carriers in the world.

In August 2015, IndiGo placed an order of 250 Airbus A320neo aircraft worth $27 billion, making it the largest single order ever in Airbus history.[13] Indigo announced a Rs.3,200 crore initial public offering on 19 October 2015 which opened on October 27, 2015.[14]

Destinations

IndiGo has its primary hub at Indira Gandhi International Airport, Delhi
An IndiGo Airbus A320 at Changi International Airport, Singapore. IndiGo commenced international flights in 2011
IndiGo operates an all Airbus A320 fleet
An Airbus A320 in IndiGo colors before delivery at Toulouse–Blagnac Airport
IndiGo uses as an Indigo-sky blue livery as seen in the Airbus A320 aircraft
An IndiGo Airbus A320 showing the painted under belly
Main article: IndiGo destinations

IndiGo operates to 40 destinations, 35 in India and 5 international, with more than 647 daily flights.[3] In January 2011 IndiGo received a license to operate international flights after completing five years of operations.[15] IndiGo's first international service was launched between New Delhi and Dubai on 1 September 2011.[16] Over the following weeks, the international services were expanded to serve Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat and Kathmandu from New Delhi and Mumbai.[17] Now international flights are also operated from several cities including Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Thiruvananthapuram and Visakhapatnam. IndiGo is considering the launch of flights between Kolkata and Kunming, China.[18]

Initial public offering

Indigo listed on NSE with the name of its parent company InterGlobe Aviation in November 2015. Interglobe aviation raised around Rs.3000 crore from the offering.

Fleet

In order to reduce operational overhead, IndiGo operates only the Airbus A320 family of aircraft in its fleet. It generally purchases new aircraft. As of February 2016, IndiGo operates the following aircraft:[19][20]

IndiGo fleet
Aircraft In Service Orders Passengers Note
all-economy
Airbus A320-200 101 — 180 17 dry leased, 5 due[21]
Airbus A320neo — 430[22] 189 Deliveries delayed till 2016[23][24]
Some orders convertible to A321neo
Total 101 430  

Fleet info

IndiGo received its first A320 in July 2006 and at that time had hoped to induct all the 100 aircraft it had ordered by 2015–2016.[25] And to compensate the same, the Airline leased 16 Aircraft from Multiple Airline companies and lessors, which all carried the registration number of VT-IDx series. Though, few of VT-IDx series are more than 6 Years old (VT-IDP is 11 Years old,[26] VT-IDR is 10 Years Old[27] ), against Indigo's principle of maintaining the maximum age of aircraft to 6 Years. By this move, the airline took delivery of its 100th aircraft on 4 November 2014 and completed its initial order ahead of schedule.[28] But officially the 100th Aircraft of the first order was delivered on 24 December 2015. The 100th Aircraft had been registered as VT-IAY (though Indigo terms it as 116th Aircraft, and the difference between the numbers is to maintain the age of the aircraft). The 100th Aircraft VT-IAY carries a decal "100" on the nose of the aircraft.[29]

The Airbus A320neo family aircraft were to be delivered between 2015 and 2022.[30] However, due to a prolonged delay in the production and delivery of these aircraft, IndiGo began to dry-lease a total of 22 used aircraft to cope up with the demand. The delivery of these used planes began in November 2014,[31] with 17 currently in fleet.[21]

New aircraft orders

IndiGo placed an order for 100 Airbus A320 family aircraft during the 2005 Paris Air Show. The total order was worth US$6 billion, one of the highest during the show.[32][33] IndiGo signed a memorandum of understanding for an additional 180 Airbus A320 aircraft including 150 with the New Engine Option (NEO) on 11 January 2011. This is one of the largest orders of its kind in commercial aviation history. IndiGo is also one of the launch customers of the brand new Airbus A320neo family. The cost of the order is expected to have exceeded US$15 billion.[34][35] The final delivery from the order for 100 Airbus A320s was made in late 2014.[31]

On the 15 October 2014, IndiGo expressed its intention to purchase 250 A320neo aircraft worth US$25.7 billion at list prices.[31][36] On 15 August 2015, IndiGo firmed up its order for 250 A320neo aircraft for $26.5 billion.[22] The order also provides IndiGo the flexibility to convert some A320s to A321neo which can seat more passengers and fly on longer routes.[37] And the order 250 jets becomes Airbus's single largest order by number of aircraft in history.[38]

Livery

The bottoms of the aircraft are painted in indigo, followed by sky blue stripes below the wings. The upper portion is given a white background along with the airline's name written in indigo. A dot-line structure of an aircraft is painted near the noses of IndiGo's aircraft. IndiGo's official website goindiGo.in is written on the engines, which have an indigo background. Finally, the tail is mostly indigo again, with the carrier's name written at the top in indigo, a sky blue stripe in the middle, on a white background. On the belly of the aircraft are 20 spots depicted as a plane representing the airline's logo.

Services

Being a low-cost carrier, none of IndiGo's flights have business class or first class sections. It offers only economy class seating. To keep fares low, IndiGo does not provide complimentary meals in any of its flights, though it does have a buy-on board in-flight meal programme.[39] No in-flight entertainment is available, but the airline provides an in-flight catalogue Hello 6E which gives information about various duty-free products which can be bought on board.

IndiGo offers premium services, where the passengers, at a higher fare, can avail additional benefits like a pre-assigned seat and meals on board.[40] It also offers a service called IndiGo Corporate Programme for corporate travellers.[41] IndiGo offers a boarding ramp for people in a wheelchair for boarding the plane.[42][43]

Accidents and incidents

Awards and achievements

IndiGo has won the following awards:

See also

References

  1. 1 2 "IndiGo profit at record high, sees over 300% jump in FY15". The Economic Times. 11 September 2015. Retrieved 11 September 2015.
  2. ↑ "SpieJet has highest load factor at 92%, IndiGo retains a third of market in August". First Post. 22 September 2015. Retrieved 22 September 2015.
  3. 1 2 "IndiGo adds nine new flights, takes total to 647 a day". First Post. 1 September 2015. Retrieved 4 September 2015.
  4. ↑ "IndiGo soars above Jet Airways, Air India". Live Mint. 23 June 2015. Retrieved 27 June 2015.
  5. ↑ "Nearly half of IndiGo foreign-owned". Hindustan Times. 11 March 2012. Archived from the original on 14 April 2012. Retrieved 13 April 2012.
  6. ↑ "IndiGo Airlines to fly soon". Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  7. ↑ "IndiGo pips AI to become No. 3 airline". The Indian Express Limited. Retrieved 14 February 2012.
  8. ↑ "Biggest order: IndiGo airline picks up 180 jets". Bennett, Coleman & Co. Ltd. Retrieved 16 February 2012.
  9. ↑ "IndiGo, SpiceJet airlines violate mandatory safety norms: DGCA : West, News – India Today". Indiatoday.intoday.in. 9 January 2012. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "IndiGo flies past Jet to become largest airline". Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  11. ↑ "IndiGo among the fastest expanding airlines globally". Business Standard. Retrieved 11 January 2013.
  12. ↑ "IndiGo to set up regional airline to tap small towns". The Economic Times (ET). Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  13. ↑ "IndiGo orders 250 planes". Times of India.
  14. ↑ "IndiGo Airlines IPO to open on October 27, price band Rs 700-765".
  15. ↑ "IndiGo to operate international flights from August". The Economic Times (New Delhi). 19 January 2011. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  16. ↑ Firdaus Hashim (2 September 2011). "IndiGo launches its first international flight". Flightglobal. Retrieved 22 February 2012.
  17. ↑ "IndiGo to launch international services on 1 September". Flightglobal.com. 22 August 2011. Archived from the original on 23 August 2011. Retrieved 24 August 2011.
  18. ↑ "2nd Kolkata-China flight on cards". The Times of India. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  19. ↑ "About IndiGo". IndiGo. Retrieved 31 July 2015.
  20. ↑ "IndiGo fleet (Ch-aviation)". Retrieved 17 August 2015.
  21. 1 2 "India’s Largest Airline IndiGo Weathers Airbus’s Delivery Delay". Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 23 January 2016.
  22. 1 2 "Airbus to Delay IndiGo’s A320neo Delivery". Retrieved 24 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "Delivery of A320 neos to be delayed, says IndiGo". The Economic Times. 19 December 2015. Retrieved 20 December 2015.
  24. ↑ "IndiGo places order for 250 A-320 neo jets with Airbus, deal worth 25.7 billion dollars". The Economic Times. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  25. ↑ Airbus Press Release – IndiGo celebrates delivery of first Airbus A320 28 July 2006
  26. ↑ "Indigo VT-IDP (Airbus A320 - MSN 2359) (Ex 5B-DCH N674AW SX-DGU ) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved 2016-01-20.
  27. ↑ "Indigo VT-IDR (Airbus A320 - MSN 2649) (Ex F-OHGV VP-BJH ) | Airfleets aviation". www.airfleets.net. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  28. ↑ "IndiGO gets 100th aircraft completing its first order of many Airbus A-320". The Economic Times. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 4 November 2014.
  29. ↑ "IndiGo fleet crosses 100 jet milestone, as it faces A320neo delivery delays - Bangalore Aviation". Bangalore Aviation. Retrieved 2016-01-21.
  30. ↑ Sinha, Saurabh (13 January 2011). "Aircraft order is just a drop in ocean: IndiGo". Times of India. Retrieved 13 January 2011.
  31. 1 2 3 "IndiGo's Expansion Mode". Airliner World: 16. January 2015.
  32. ↑ "Airbus wins $6bn order from India". BBC News. 16 June 2005. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  33. ↑ "Airbus Orders and Deliveries". Airbus.com. Retrieved 30 August 2010.
  34. ↑ "IndiGo commits to 180 A320s, largest jet order in aviation history" (Press release). Airbus. 1 November 2011. Archived from the original on 15 January 2011. Retrieved 14 January 2011.
  35. ↑ "Airbus and AirAsia announce record deal for 200 planes". BBC. 23 June 2011. Retrieved 23 June 2011.
  36. ↑ "40 billion jet spending spree". Yahoo!.
  37. ↑ "Would be foolish to not focus on India, says IndiGo airlines president Aditya Ghosh". Retrieved 27 August 2015.
  38. ↑ "IndiGo signs MoU for 250 A320neo aircraft". Retrieved 15 October 2014.
  39. ↑ "IndiGo FAQ's". Book.goindigo.in. Archived from the original on 25 August 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  40. ↑ "IndiGo Plus". Book.goindigo.in. Archived from the original on 13 November 2013. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  41. ↑ "IndiGo Corporate Program". Book.goindigo.in. Retrieved 13 November 2013.
  42. ↑ "Aviramp is one major manufacturer of boarding ramps accommodating wheelchairs".
  43. ↑ "KCI is another major manufacturer of boarding ramps accommodating wheelchairs".
  44. ↑ "DGCA finds fault with IndiGo pilot's landing technique". India Today. Retrieved 14 February 2013.
  45. ↑ After Malaysia Airlines, IndiGo Airlines faces a mishap News X 8 March 2014
  46. 1 2 3 "IndiGo makes it three in a row with CNBC AWAAZ Travel Award '09". domain-b.com. 1 September 2009. Retrieved 13 July 2012.
  47. ↑ "Indigo wins SKYTRAX awards". Business Standard. 21 July 2012.
  48. ↑ "Interglobe Acievments".
  49. ↑ Neogi, Subhro (8 Oct 2015). "IndiGo named CAPA low cost carrier of the year at World Aviation Summit". The Times of India.

External links

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