IndiGo Boosts Global Ties with Turkish Airlines, Signs MoU with Delta, Air France-KLM, Virgin
IndiGo will be able to provide nonstop flights to cities in Europe, feed from cities in India and South East Asia, and transport passengers to smaller towns in Europe and North America thanks to the new collaboration.
In order to establish a relationship and connect traffic to North America and Europe, IndiGo, the biggest airline in India in terms of both fleet size and domestic market share, inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Virgin Atlantic, Delta Air Lines, and Air France-KLM. This comes after the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) approved an extension of the damp lease of Turkish Airlines aircraft by a mere three months, following criticism of the airline for its relationship with Turkish Airlines.
It takes months and years to develop airline alliances, so it’s unlikely that the recent criticism prompted IndiGo to take this step. Actually, the airline has been feeding their network out of India from several Indian cities for the past few years as a partner of Virgin Atlantic, KLM, and Air France.
The announcement was made the same day that IndiGo and Airbus inked a Memorandum of Understanding to turn 30 A350 options into firm orders. With options for an additional 70 aircraft in 2024, the airline has already ordered 30 A350s. Since 2022, IndiGo and Air France-KLM and Virgin Atlantic have partnered to provide access to over 30 locations in India for passengers of these airlines. The airline will offer flights to the United States and Canada from Amsterdam with Delta and KLM, flights to the United States from Manchester on Virgin Atlantic, and 30 points within Europe on KLM via Amsterdam. It also has plans to fly to London and Copenhagen in due time. Passengers from India now have more options to travel to Europe and North America through European hubs, potentially emulating Jet Airways’ collaboration with KLM, which included a scissor hub in Amsterdam. In the future, Delta Air Lines intends to start offering nonstop flights between Atlanta and Delhi to India. IndiGo will be able to provide passengers with additional options as a result. A potential hub for Europe?
Beginning in 2027, IndiGo will begin introducing its own A350 aircraft. An increased presence in Europe and the ability to transfer passengers at several hubs, similar to what Jet Airways did in its prime, could result from the present Memorandum of Understanding turning into a partnership. At its height, Jet Airways offered flights to Amsterdam from Delhi, Mumbai, and Bengaluru, as well as flights to North America on its own and in collaboration with KLM.
IndiGo has been growing gradually, first with flights within the immediate area of India and then moving on to longer-haul destinations like Bali, Istanbul, and Nairobi. This is the third stage, following which IndiGo would consider nonstop service to North America. Through the new collaboration, it will be able to provide nonstop flights to cities in Europe, feed from cities in India and South East Asia, and transport people to smaller towns in Europe and North America.
More than passengers
On the engineering side, where Air France-KLM has a significant presence and also operates the A350s, the MoU that these airlines signed establishes a foundation for further collaboration between the carriers. This collaboration might cover network, loyalty, cargo, sales, and more. This might be useful when IndiGo introduces the A350 in 2027.
Win-Win?
With the help of airlines like Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, and equity partner, Air India currently leads the Star Alliance charge and has the most capacity (by available seat kilometres) from India. Jet Airways maintained solid relationships with Skyteam but never officially joined the Alliance, while Kingfisher Airlines came close to joining OneWorld before it collapsed. Through the cooperation in Europe, IndiGo will help identify strengths for the recently established flights to Europe, provide passengers with connections outside of Europe, and establish a presence in the connecting market.
It helps with a greater feed from India and supports the transatlantic service for Virgin Atlantic, Delta, and Air France-KLM. Now that this collaboration has been established, the question of whether or not IndIGo will begin operations in Paris is resolved. Slots are frequently listed as the obstacle that Indian airlines face when trying to grow at airports such as Amsterdam or London Heathrow. In these situations, the answer may lie in financing, leasing, or, in the case of London Heathrow, an outright purchase from the codeshare partners as part of a larger agreement that may span multiple regions.
