IndiGo adds first longer range A321 neo plane to its fleet, toughens up competition

After becoming the first Indian airline to have 200 planes, IndiGo has unlocked yet another achievement by becoming the owner of A321 neo to its convoy.

The first airline to do so in India, IndiGo welcomed the new plane on Saturday morning in New Delhi. The A321 neo is a product of the European aviation major, Airbus. The plane was sent to India from Airbus’ facility in Germany.

Welcomed with the traditional water cannon salute on arrival at Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 3, the plane has joined the fleet after a delay of one month. The initial date for its arrival was November 29.

With a total of 150 on order, IndiGo has plans of expanding its services in the medium-long haul international destinations category. Flights of up to six-hour duration, which fall under this segment, will help IndiGo reach a wider audience in the international market.

According to Livemint, IndiGo currently operates more than 1,300 daily flights to 52 domestic and 15 international destinations.

The domestic carrier had also announced its plan to start services to Istanbul. The company also signed a codeshare pact with Turkish Airlines to provide the passengers with a smooth flying experience to 20 global destinations. IndiGo will in turn, provide passengers of the Turkish national career access to all the domestic destinations operated by it.

With the Indian market growing rapidly, IndiGo’s profit has gone up from $235.02 million in 2014-15 to $988.72 million in 2016-17, according to statista.com. In a span of 4 years, the profit margins for the organization increased by more than four times, indicating a clear competition for other carriers.

Apart from Istanbul, IndiGo is also looking forward to launching services to Gatwick (London), Riyadh (Suadi Arabia) and Yangon (Myanmar), to spread its international network.