By Aditi Shah
NEW DELHI (Reuters) -India’s biggest airline IndiGo will introduce business class seats from mid-November on a handful of domestic routes, its CEO said on Monday, the first time the no-frills carrier has departed from an all-economy cabin.
IndiGo is looking to tap growing demand for upmarket travel at a time when rising incomes have propelled many urban Indians to splurge on expensive cars and luxury apartments.
The airline will launch business class tickets on a total of 12 routes, starting with Delhi-Mumbai at $214 one way. It will also serve the cities of Bengaluru, Chennai, Kolkata and Hyderabad over the next year.
“Considering India’s soaring economy and the evolving aspirations of our customers, it’s a very natural moment to move in that direction,” CEO Pieter Elbers said during a company event in New Delhi.
India is one of the world’s fastest-growing domestic air travel markets where IndiGo has a more than 60% share. Its new business class product will pit IndiGo against the country’s only full-service carrier, Air India, which is undergoing a multimillion-dollar revamp under its new owner Tata Group.
IndiGo’s navy blue business class seats have a plusher feel than standard seats and an adjustable head-rest. Passengers will be served “specially curated” meals by hospitality group Oberoi.
About 40 planes will be fitted with the dual-class cabin, and the airline will offer 12 business class seats out of a total of 220 on its narrowbody Airbus A321 aircraft.
IndiGo’s foray into business class is the latest in a string of strategy shifts, from launching in-flight entertainment on a mobile app to a bet on long-haul travel through its first-ever widebody jet order.
The airline is adding international destinations and is a customer of Airbus’ A321 XLR aircraft that can fly directly from India to western Europe.
($1 = 84.0330 Indian rupees)
(Reporting by Aditi Shah in New Delhi; Writing by Nandan Mandayam in Bengaluru; Editing by David Holmes and Mark Potter)
