IndiGo Signs Pact With Air France-KLM, Virgin Atlantic, Delta To Fuel Global Ambitions
IndiGo, with a market share of 64%, is expanding its international operaitons as the number of Indians travelling overseas appears to be only rising every year.
Budget carrier IndiGo on Sunday expanded its partnership with two overseas carriers — Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic — and signed a new partner — Delta Air Lines — to fuel its long-haul services to North America, Europe and the United Kingdom.
The move comes as the country's largest airline, with a market share of 64%, is expanding its international reach as the number of Indians travelling overseas appears to be only rising every year. The tie-up with Delta and the other two European partners will offer IndiGo passengers connections to over 30 cities in Europe, the U.S and Canada.
"We are excited to start our long-haul expansion this summer and connect with our partners’ networks to provide greater access to Europe and North America," IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers said. "This strategic partnership enables a compelling combined customer proposition in the form of comprehensive intercontinental connectivity, seamless experience and great loyalty value."
The partnership also comes at a time when IndiGo has been ordered to end its pact with Turkish Airlines within three months, following Ankara's support of Pakistan during Operation Sindoor. The deal allowed travellers access to 40 cities in Europe and the U.S.
Over the years, IndiGo has been using the codeshare agreement to bolster its international network.
It has had partnerships with Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic since 2022, which allows Air France, KLM and Virgin Atlantic customers access to more than 30 Indian cities. So the expanded partnership is a natural step, said France-KLM CEO Benjamin Smith.
IndiGo's other partners include Turkish Airlines, American Airlines, British Airways, Malaysia Airlines, Qatar Airways, and Japan Airlines.
However, its partnership with Delta is new. The U.S. carrier has not flown to India since the Covid-19 pandemic. CEO Ed Bastian told media at an airline summit in New Delhi that Delta will restart direct services from the U.S. to India over the next couple of years.
Delta is planning non-stop flights between Atlanta and Delhi, subject to government approval, according to a joint statement.
Increasing international connectivity is key for domestic carriers as several foreign airlines, especially from the Middle East such as Emirates and Qatar Airways as well as Singapore and Indonesia, have been seeking grants of more flying rights to operate an increased number of direct flights to and from India. None of them have been entertained so far, and the government is unlikely to grant new flying rights till domestic carriers reach a certain scale in the international space.
