IndiGo has announced a further increase in its European connections through its partnership with Turkish Airlines. The budget airline is now offering flights to France and Austria via Turkey, giving passengers more options to travel to Europe.
Connections to France and Austria
IndiGo has strengthened its international connectivity by announcing flights to Austria and France via Turkey through its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines. The new routes from Istanbul to Paris, Lyon, Nice, and Toulouse will be effective from November 30th, and the route from Istanbul to Salzburg, Austria, will start on December 1st.
Photo: Getty Images
Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo, commented,
“Keeping the travel demand in mind, we have introduced new connections to Austria and France for our customers. In addition to business connectivity, customers will also have access to several tourist attractions in France and Austria along with an opportunity to witness white Christmas during the holidays.”
The announcement comes hot on the heels of IndiGo adding capacity to Portugal and Switzerland from November 23rd. The 19 connecting flights via Istanbul cover Portugal’s Lisbon and Porto, and Switzerland’s Basel and Geneva.
The codeshare agreement allows both IndiGo and Turkish Airlines to market the same flight under their identification codes.
777 operations
IndiGo is in the process of acquiring up to three Boeing 777 jets from Turkish Airlines on wet lease and will start its first widebody route to Istanbul from Mumbai on January 1st.
Photo: Getty Images
However, there has been some back and forth between the airline and India’s aviation regulator, the DGCA, regarding the terms of the lease. Wet leases in India are permitted only under exceptional circumstances, with IndiGo’s current capacity crunch qualifying as one.
Such leases were typically allowed for three months with the option of extending them for another three months. But IndiGo initially wanted to lease the widebodies for one year with the option of extending it for another year after that – a demand that the DGCA rejected.
But recently, the aviation ministry met IndiGo in the middle and relaxed norms for all airlines, allowing them to lease planes for six months, extendable by another six months, effectively allowing IndiGo to fly the 777s for a year.
IndiGo is allowed to operate two 777s as it wishes, but any additional widebodies can only be had if the airline flies them directly to Europe or the US.
Photo: Airbus
Testing the waters
While IndiGo leads India’s domestic market, its international offerings are limited to the Middle East and Southeast Asia. From 2024-25, it will add the long-range Airbus A321XLR planes opening routes to Western Europe.
But questions about IndiGo purchasing widebody planes have often been thrown at the airline. Many believe that the 777s from Turkish Airlines will be a good way for the budget carrier to evaluate the situation helping it to decide about any future commitment to widebody operations.
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