Indigo sees scope for expansion in Oman: CEO

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Muscat: India's largest airline, Indigo, said it is keen on expanding its operations in the Sultanate of Oman. The airline currently directly operates to Mumbai, Kochi, and Hyderabad from Muscat and previously also flew to cities such as Chennai, Delhi, and Calicut, among others.

Speaking to the Observer recently, CEO Pieter Elbers said, "We keep that option open, and the Gulf is an important part of our network. We fly a total of 210 frequencies a week into the Gulf, including Muscat, Abu Dhabi, Dubai, and Sharjah.

"We will keep expanding in Oman. We still have room to grow and further build on what we have now. We are not just expanding in Oman but also in the region. And I think that's a good part of Indigo. We're not focusing on a specific part or a specific country, but on across-the-board expansions."

Pieter Elbers, CEO, Peter Elbers

Elbers said the airline still has three years to decide on how to deploy its A350S, which will arrive in 2027. Before that, we will have the A321 XLRs coming, which will help us bring services to Europe and Asia."

The airline currently serves 121 destinations, including 33 international from India and has a fleet of 182 A320s 94 A321 neos, 45 ATRs and two 777s

He said the Indian market has lots of potential, but at the same time, "it's competitive with customers and extremely price sensitive. Also, the regulatory environment is not always easy. There are some challenges that are beyond the control of anyone. You know the fog in the winter in Delhi and the monsoon in the south."

The airline plans to introduce business class on the busiest routes, such as between Mumbai and Delhi. "We have lots of corporate customers. In the last 19 years, Indigo has already moved away from what some may qualify as a classical low-cost airline operating between secondary airports. We operate from all the main airports in India, operate at high frequency, have code-share partners, and also offer connectivity. So we already have all those things in place, and this step is a natural evolution of where Indigo is going, and the growth of Indigo and the growth of India are coming together. And we provide a first-time flying experience to a lot of Indians who couldn't afford it years ago, and now they can. The Indian market is very different than other parts of the world, and we still have first-time flyers joining us."

It has also launched a new feature that allows female travelers to see where other women are sitting when selecting seats for their flights. The feature will be available to women traveling solo or as part of a family booking.