IndiGo aims to carry 100 million passengers in the year ending March 2024 as the carrier adds more domestic and international routes, its CEO Pieter Elbers said on Monday. The budget carrier carried 86 million passengers in FY23.
Speaking at a media briefing on the sidelines of the IATA World Air Transport Summit here, Elbers said the airline expects to have around 350 aircraft in its fleet by the end of this fiscal year (FY24). Currently, the carrier has more than 300 aircraft.
IndiGo is India’s largest airline with over 57% domestic market share. According to him, the airline will continue to look to have a larger share of the international market.
Last week, IndiGo announced that it will launch direct flights to six new destinations in Africa and Central Asia this year, including Nairobi, Tbilisi and Tashkent. The carrier will embark on “massive” international expansion plans, connecting Nairobi, Kenya, and Jakarta, Indonesia with direct flights from Mumbai in late July or early August.
“Delhi will join Tbilisi, Georgia and Baku, Azerbaijan in August and Tashkent, Uzbekistan and Almaty, Kazakhstan in September,” IndiGo said in a statement on Friday.
Asked about bilateral flying rights, Elbers said it was up to the government to decide whether to grant more rights or not. It requires a “tailored approach,” he added. As for the Pratt & Whitney engine problems, Elbers said the airline, like others, has a problem with supply chain issues and has taken a number of mitigation measures.
Asked if IndiGo would join an airline alliance, the CEO said, “If it is home to the largest country in terms of population, why should we limit ourselves to one alliance”.
