Indigo has drastically changed its business model for the future after an interview with The Hindu revealed that the carrier would be launching widebody services in the near future.
The CEO, Ronojoy Dutta, told The Hindu that Indigo plans to operate direct flights to London, from both its Mumbai and New Delhi hubs. The airline is currently evaluating three different airports in London, namely Heathrow, Stansted and Gatwick. Dutta says that the airline would lease at least six widebody aircraft, with the majority going towards daily London services and the remainder on flights to Istanbul or Singapore.
The airline intends to lease the widebody aircraft. However, if the carrier gets a good leasing deal, it could order up to 30 widebody jets.
Initially, Indigo was looking at offering Airbus A320Neo family services to London. However, the airline has concluded that single-aisle long-haul operations just aren't viable.
Not only will the carrier be shifting to widebody jets, but it will also be adding a business class.
"If we go all-economy, we can’t make the numbers work. The answer is a small business class and a dense economy," Dutta says.
Finally, the CEO said that the airline would likely not be operating to the United States, due to the operating logistics.
“We will eventually be everywhere, except the U.S.," he said.
Australia is in a similar situation, however the carrier still has continued interest in that market. For the moment though, it isn't on the radar.
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