The deal had been in the works for months. On May 12th, Air France-KLM and IndiGo implemented their codeshare deal, which they declared in December last year. This permits each airline to access several additional routes in each other’s networks and offers passengers the convenience of more options.
IndiGo with Air France-KLM
The agreement inked by India’s biggest airline, IndiGo with Air France-KLM in December has now been implemented, letting the carriers sell seats on each other’s flights. The deal was waiting for permission from the relevant authorities and was initially expected to launch in February.
However, a lot has transformed for the better since then, with COVID receding and India opening up its skies. As such, the partnership can support the invigorated traveling need in the last few months.
Henri de Peyrelongue, EVP of Commercial Sales at Air France-KLM, stated,
Air France-KLM to be the first major European airline
“We are very proud at Air France-KLM to be the first major European airline group to initiate cooperation with IndiGo. This codeshare deal will allow us to raise our local footprint and improve connectivity between India – one of the fastest-growing markets – and the rest of the world, via our Paris-Charles de Gaulle and Amsterdam-Schiphol hubs.”
Sanjay Kumar, Chief Strategy and Revenue Officer, IndiGo, said, As this summer sees huge interest in an international trip after a hiatus of two years, the codeshare will open our on-time, affordable, courteous, and hassle-free journey experience across 30 incredible Indian destinations to Air France-KLM customers.”
- The three airlines involved in the deal plan to strengthen their hold in their territories. From their hubs in Paris and Amsterdam, Air France and KLM operate flights to four Indian cities – Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Bengaluru.
- Passengers of AF-KLM can now access codeshare flights on their website to many popular destinations in India through this deal, including Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Pune, and Hyderabad.
For Air France-KLM, having greater access to more Indian cities becomes particularly necessary in the face of competition from other European and Middle East carriers to attract passengers in an ever-expanding market.
For IndiGo, the partnership means providing its customers with a network of more than 300 destinations of Air France-KLM through their hubs in Paris and Amsterdam. Also, with the airline planning to expand its reach to long-haul destinations in the future, it could use this partnership to its advantage.
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IndiGo is a top choice for foreign carriers
The Air France-KLM deal is one of several other codeshare deals which IndiGo has undertaken in recent months. Recently, the budget carrier reactivated its codeshare with Qatar Airways, resuming the partnership on April 25th.
When one considers IndiGo’s association with American Airlines, Turkish Airlines, and the upcoming agreement with Qantas, the extent of IndiGo’s reach across various continents becomes clear.
Of course, the same reason applies for airlines to partner up with IndiGo, given its sprawling network in India and an almost insurmountable market share. It probably won’t come as a surprise if we hear other major international players knocking at IndiGo’s door in the future.
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