New Delhi:
IndiGo, which is facing calls for ending or curbing its codeshare agreement with Turkish Airlines and its leasing of aircraft from it following Turkey’s support for Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, is “fully compliant” with regulations in India but is open to making changes if the rules are altered, the airline’s CEO Pieter Elbers has said.
In an exclusive, wide-ranging conversation with NDTV on Wednesday, Mr Elbers also spoke about the impact of the Pakistani airspace being shut and some Indian airports being closed in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack and during Operation Sindoor, IndiGo’s international plans, the hoax bomb calls that airlines in India had to deal with in October and November last year, and the importance of passenger safety.
To a question on how the closure of 32 airports, including Srinagar and Amritsar, in the north and west during India-Pakistan hostilities had affected IndiGo, Mr Elbers said the airline was operating in 11 of those airports and had to cancel 170 of the 2,300 flights it operates every day – for eight days. The number, he said, was just a “single-digit” percentage in terms of total flights per day.
A similar, small impact, he said, has been felt with Pakistan closing its airspace to Indian airlines in response to India’s measures like the suspension of the Indus Waters Treaty.
“After the Pakistani airspace closure, IndiGo had to suspend flights into Tashkent and Almaty (in Kazakhstan) because circumflying Pakistan airspace made these flights too long. So, out of a total of 131 destinations – 41 international – we needed to suspend two. Then, for the remaining flights and flights from the northern part of India into the Middle East, we had a total of 19 routes and a total of 34-35 flights being affected by longer flying times up to 20 to 30 minutes. So, if you look at these numbers again, putting them in perspective, these are actually relatively limited numbers for IndiGo,” Mr Elbers said.
“Of course, we would be better off if the airspace was not closed and, of course, we would be better off if we did not have to deal with that reality. But it’s a reality we deal with… I think the opportunity for India and IndiGo is, given the size of the country and the different hubs with their different geographical scopes, we have the opportunity to temporarily, if needed, reallocate some of that capacity to other places,” he added.
Feeling Pressure?
Asked whether IndiGo was under pressure to call off or reduce the scope of its agreement with Turkish Airlines, especially since the security clearance for Turkish aviation firm Celebi was revoked last week, the CEO said the airline is compliant with regulations and is also trying to keep the needs of customers in mind.
“We do have thousands of customers being booked on those flights, either from India to other parts of the world connecting over Istanbul, or from other parts of the world connecting over in Istanbul back to India. And we want to continue to serve those customers,” he emphasised.
Mr Elbers also pointed out that out of the over 400 aircraft in IndiGo’s fleet, only two are on lease from Turkish Airlines.
“Our viewpoint is we operate within the guidance of whatever is in the service agreements, compliant with the government’s regulations. If they change, we’ll adjust accordingly to make sure that we are compliant. And, for now, we continue to serve our customers… if the government were to change its set of rules, of course, we will comply with that. But if (there is) any pressure we feel, it is the need to make sure that we fulfil the obligations we have to all the customers who put their trust in us, who made their booking with us, who have their travel plans with us,” he said.
Pressed on whether IndiGo would consider a new hub outside Istanbul, he said, “As an airline, we always look for, if circumstances change, or if operational elements are changing, we’ll adjust accordingly, in the same way as we have adjusted our network after the Pakistan airspace closure… So, we always make sure that we look for what fall-back opportunities or what fall-back positions are there. But until that becomes the case, we continue to operate in the way we operate today.”
Competition
IndiGo is buying Airbus 350s and deploying Boeing 787s and 777s as well, so what is its plan for competing with other, full-service carriers like Air India when it comes to international flights? When the CEO was asked this question, he said the airline wants to become a global aviation giant by 2030.
“I joined IndiGo in the summer of 2022, and the country was emerging from Covid. It was clear that India was on a continued track towards becoming the third-largest economy in the world. Part of that is having an airline or even airlines that represent the size and opportunity and potential of the country. And, against that backdrop, the ambition for IndiGo to become a global aviation giant by 2030 was shaped and further formed,” he said.
The airline’s order for 500 narrowbody aircraft from the 500 Airbus A320 family in 2023 and for the widebody A350 the following year, he explained, are building blocks in that plan.
Business Class Comforts
On how good IndiGo’s business class is going to be on international flights, Mr Elbers said they are not looking at introducing features like flat beds just yet, but the pricing will also reflect that. The initial plan, he said, may involve having the Stretch seats, which offer more legroom and comfort.
“You have to walk before you can run… The bridging solution is… having a very good seat, but not a flat seat. And for IndiGo to enter that space with 56 of these Stretch seats, which are good business class seats with in-flight entertainment, hot meal, Indian curated meals, Indian curated liquor. And that will help us find a place in that market… By 2030, we’ll make the next step in our evolution,” he said.
Hoax Calls
Asked about the large number of hoax calls in October and November last year, Mr Elbers said airlines have to take these calls seriously because safety is the most important thing in the industry.
“I think whoever was behind this, it was an irresponsible action…But I think here, the collaboration with the Indian government and the collaboration with the entire ecosystem to address this issue has been very important,” he said.
