The IndiGo Story: Inside the Upstart that Redefined Indian Aviation

by Shelley Vishwajeet

The first airline service KLM began its operation in 1920 by flying from Amsterdam to London.

The success of the LCC model has forced even the true blue FSCs such as Lufthansa or Air France-KLM to have their own LCC subsidiaries. So, we have Transavia from the stable of Air France-KLM, and Germanwings and Eurowings from Lufthansa.

‘fair-fare’ became the basic tenet by which they wished to carve out Ryanair’s niche.

Ryanair keeps reminding flyers that despite all-round improvements it will remain the lowest-cost airline.

All leading LCCs such as Southwest, Ryanair or easyJet have their primary hubs at secondary airports while providing point-to-point connectivity between two secondary airports.

The airline was to be called IndiGo—India on the go!

‘Rahul’s strong relationship with travel agents became a key strength for IndiGo Airlines when it began its operations.’

One of the main reasons for Kingfisher going down was the fact that it was in a tearing hurry to start international operations, believing it to be its panacea for its financial woes while also being driven by the prestige of it.

‘IndiGo is built for people with things to do, places to be and people to see, who don’t want to waste time, money or energy in the process.

Lower weight translates into higher fuel efficiency. So, to make its aircrafts as light as possible, IndiGo opted for lighter seats in its fleet.

Sharklets are supposed to reduce fuel burn by up to an additional 3.5 per cent on long routes of around 3000NM.

IndiGo has the lowest count of employees per aircraft at 110. SpiceJet and Jet Airways have more than 140 employees per aircraft, while GoAir has 120.

IndiGo gained most from Kingfisher’s fall and became the top domestic airline.

There was a time when every affluent person wanted to own a television channel. There also came a time when everyone wanted to start an airline.

The biggest challenges for IndiGo as with any airline are three; the first being the cost of jet fuel and oil prices, the second being competition, and the third being credibility and reputation.