IndiGo seeks nod to fly abroad, may unleash tariff war

New Delhi: India’s biggest low-cost carrier IndiGo has sought approval from the civil aviation ministry to fly foreign destinations including China, Singapore and the lucrative Gulf. The airline will meet the eligibility norms to fly overseas by next year but wants to be ready with arrangement in time.
While full-service carriers Jet Airways, Air India and Kingfisher would feel the heat of competition from these low-cost counterparts, flyers stand to gain as a result of the likely fare war on these routes. The airline has written to civil aviation ministry to nominate it as one of the designated carriers of the country once it completes the key eligibility condition of five years of domestic operations.
As per the existing guideline, a domestic airline is eligible to fly only after completing five years in the local market and operate a fleet of at least 20 aircraft. “IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh has said the airline be designated carrier to fly international from the second half of next year as it would be completing five years of operation by then,” a senior official in aviation ministry told ET. The airline currently maintains a fleet of 25 aircraft, operating 170 flights that connect 22 cities across the country.
The Delhi-based carrier has already started ground work for starting international operation.
22/03/10 Nirbhay Kumar/Economic Times

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Categories: IndiGo Airlines Mar 2010