India’s largest airline IndiGo has increased its presence in the UAE fast. Within just two years, the number of weekly flights of IndiGo has been increased from 35 to 111. This step is taken at a time when according to Indigo CEO Peter Alber,, the “most competitive aviation market” is being expanded.
Elbs said that the UAE is an important center of IndiGo’s international expansion strategy, which extends from Central Asia to Europe. The airline has introduced several flights in Abu Dhabi and has also started services for Fuzaira. He insisted that the airline’s approach is not only to create a superficial appearance, but to establish a significant market share.
IndiGo’s strategy was called by Alber as “creating a circle around India”. Early flights have been started in Africa and Central Asia so far. Also, the opportunities for expansion of Indo-UAE bilateral agreements are also being noted. Regarding the possible operating at Dubai World Central (DWC) Airport, Albers said it would be too early as a clear plan of new terminal facilities is yet to be made.
However, despite the regional tension, IndiGo has not planned to cut the Middle East operations. The CEO relied on India’s market stability and flexibility, such as the airline quickly restored operations despite the closure of 13 airports during India-Pakistan tension in May.
IndiGo’s ‘Stretch’ premium economy product has also been strategically implemented on major routes. The product was mainly started on busy and business routes such as Delhi-Mumbai and Delhi-Bangalore, and is now available on international routes such as Dubai, Singapore, Bangkok and Phuket.
The purpose of expansion in Europe is to create a bridge of long -term aviation plans. The airline is currently running six leased wide-bodies aircraft, while Airbus A350 will be delivered in 2027-28. With new flights to Copenhagen and Amsterdam, IndiGo has established direct connectivity for Indian community to small cities in Europe and UK. Albers reported that the market will take time to adopt premium product, but customers’ response has been encouraging.
