Come November, fly business class aboard IndiGo

New Delhi: India's largest airline, IndiGo, will transition from its all-economy offering to include business class seats on its busiest metro routes starting November. 

Speaking at an event, chief executive Pieter Elbers announced that the business class product will debut on the Delhi-Mumbai route, with plans to expand to 12 domestic metro routes by the end of 2025. 

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Seats for the Delhi-Mumbai route will be available for sale starting 6 August, for travel beginning 14 November. Airfares for the business class seats will start at ₹18,018.

Welcome aboard IndiGo Stretch

IndiGo has branded its business class product as ‘IndiGo Stretch.’ The premium seats will feature a pitch of 38 inches and a width of 21.3 inches. They will also include a six-way adjustable headrest with neck support, a five-inch deep recline, an electronic device holder, a 60-watt USB-Type C power supply, and a three-pin universal power outlet.

Until now, IndiGo has operated as an all-economy low-cost carrier, charging extra for additional services. The new business class fare will include complimentary benefits such as no convenience fee, a vegetarian meal box with a choice of beverages, advance seat selection, priority check-in, and anytime boarding.

The aircraft used for the business class product will have 12 premium seats in a 2-2 configuration and 208 economy seats, including the XL seats in the middle.

Fleet expansion and other plans

As of 30 June, IndiGo had a fleet of 382 aircraft. The airline aims to add an aircraft every week, with a target to double its fleet by 2030. 

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“IndiGo of tomorrow is going to be very different than IndiGo of 2006 or today. The business class entry is clearly to tap the segment, which sees lower capacity now than what it was until 2019 with Jet Airways in operation,” Ameya Joshi, founder of aviation research platform Network Thoughts said.

IndiGo also announced its new loyalty programme, BluChip, expected to launch in September. Pre-registration has started, and members will accumulate IndiGo BluChips on every flight, based on their spend. Members can also redeem BluChips for up to five nominees.

Market Performance and outlook

In 2023-24, IndiGo handled 106.7 million passengers, marking a 24.7% year-on-year increase. 

“The IndiGo business class offering is well timed because as the disposable income and aspirations of flyers in our country rises, there is an emerging critical mass of travellers willing to pay a premium for priority services, comfortable and reclining seats as well as gourmet meals,” Aloke Bajpai, group chief executive officer of online travel portal ixigo said.

IndiGo is set to induct A321 XLR (extra long range) aircraft in 2025, which will allow it to connect more destinations within a 10-11 hour range from India. Additionally, the airline will add long-haul flights starting in 2027 with the induction of wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft into its fleet.

Also read | Low-cost IndiGo's business class foray signals K-shaped growth here to stay

As of 30 June, IndiGo provided scheduled services to 88 domestic and over 30 international destinations. The airline plans to add seven more international destinations by the end of the current financial year in March 2025. With a market share of 60.8% in the domestic aviation market, IndiGo currently has an order book of over 970 aircraft.