IndiGo – the high-flying Indian low-cost airline

India’s economy is booming, with the latest expectations beating previous predictions. The International Monetary Fund has revised its growth prediction for the most populous nation from 6.1% to 6.3% for 2023 in its latest World Economic Outlook report, fuelled by rising consumption and investment.

Investment like the order placed by India’s low-cost airline IndiGo earlier this year for 500 Airbus A320 aircraft – making it the largest single order received by the European manufacturer. Not only that, but IndiGo already has 480 aircraft on order, due to be delivered this decade.

Since the airline was formed in 2006, it has ordered 1,330 aircraft with Airbus.

Part of this expansion is also driven by sustainability ambitions. The airline had already reduced its CO2 emissions by more than 20% since 2016, and adding the more fuel-efficient A320NEO aircraft to the fleet will further add efficiency.

This has not gone unrecognised, with CAPA – Centre for Aviation naming IndiGo the Asia Environmental Sustainability Airline / Airline Group of the Year.

SkyTrax also awarded IndiGo the Best Low-Cost Airline in India & South Asia in 2023, for the 13th year in a row.

IndiGo’s sustainability and CSR credentials

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, has stated that the Airbus orders enables IndiGo to fulfill its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India. 

"Currently, around 80% of our fleet is new generation,” says Elbers. “With our continuous and massive investments in new generation aircraft, we have been able to reduce our CO2 footprint per available seat kilometre by around 20% in FY2023 as compared to seven years ago."

Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) is another important part of the company’s growth strategy. IndiGoReach contributes towards sustainable development for communities, focussing on children and education, women empowerment, environment, and heritage. So far, this CSR initiative has benefitted more than 100,000 people across 18 states.

IndiGo connects Indian cities and wider region

IndiGo currently operates 300 aircraft and expects to welcome 100 million passengers this year.

The domestic market alone is a huge opportunity for a budget airline like IndiGo. Prime Minister Modi has also pledged to build world-class aviation infrastructure to meet this demand and also turn the country into a global hub, positioned at the crossroads of East and West.

The airline already operates 1,900 daily flights, connecting 80 Indian destinations and approaching 30 international connecting India with South Asia, Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Gulf. 

​​The IndiGo network extends to state capitals and commercial hubs – including Srinagar, Lucknow, Indore, Kochi, and Nagpur. 

IndiGo also flies to tourism and cultural destinations such as Amritsar, Jodhpur, and Goa – where it is the largest operator from Goa’s new Mopa Airport.   

IndiGo is based in Gurgaon, and owned by InterGlobe Enterprises. Parent company InterGlobe Aviation is listed on the Bombay Stock Exchange and the National Stock Exchange of India.

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