GURUGRAM- Benefiting from an impressive streak of five consecutive quarters with record profits, India’s largest domestic airline, IndiGo (6E) CEO Pieter Elbers, has revealed plans to introduce a new aircraft each week, aiming to enhance the airline’s reach both domestically and internationally.
In 2023, the airline made a groundbreaking order of 500 aircraft with Airbus at the Paris Air Show. Presently, IndiGo manages a fleet of 334 aircraft, including 176 A320neo. However, the airline acknowledges that there are currently around mid-70 aircraft grounded, an increase from the mid-40 aircraft grounded at the beginning of October 2023.
IndiGo to Add New Aircraft Every Week
Earlier this week, InterGlobe Aviation, the parent company of IndiGo, witnessed a significant surge in its after-tax profit, more than doubling to Rs 2,998.1 crore in the December quarter compared to Rs 1,422.6 crore in the corresponding period of the previous year.
In an interview with CNBC TV18, Elbers highlighted that there are nearly 1,000 pending deliveries, expressing a long-term vision for consistent growth.
Elbers emphasized, “We have a projection for planes to be delivered well into the next decade. We expect to receive deliveries of one plane every week. For many years to come, IndiGo will be acquiring a new plane each week. This underscores the substantial growth potential aligned with the growth of India itself.”
The airline is strategically planning network expansions, incorporating the upcoming A321 XLR aircraft that will be delivered in due course. Currently, IndiGo serves 118 destinations with over 500 routes.
Elbers outlined their objective, stating, “We aim to further expand our network beyond the existing 86 domestic and 32 international destinations. We are connecting cities like Ahmedabad to various international destinations such as Singapore and the Middle East.”
Engine Problems Affecting Operations
In the course of an earnings call, Gaurav M. Negi, the CFO of IndiGo, mentioned that the current count of grounded aircraft stands is roughly around 70s, indicating a slight improvement compared to previous estimates.
Negi expressed optimism, stating, “We hope the situation will start to improve in a few quarters from now,” and emphasized that the implemented mitigation measures have been effective in handling the current circumstances.
As part of its fleet of 334 aircraft, IndiGo presently operates 176 A320neo. However, more than 40 aircraft are currently grounded due to issues with P&W engines.
As of the end of December 2023, the airline’s fleet included 358 aircraft, comprising 31 A320 ceos (11 on damp lease), 184 A320 neos, 94 A321 neos, 44 ATRs, 3 A321 freighters, and 2 Boeing 777s.
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