Thaindian News

New Delhi, June 14 (IANS) Leading low-cost carrier IndiGo Airlines Tuesday said it will launch its international foray Sep 1, by operating services from New Delhi to Dubai.

“It is a great thing for our company to provide services in the international segment. I feel we will be able to give good value to passengers who were paying astronomical fares to international players,” IndiGo’s president Aditya Ghosh told IANS.

According to Ghosh, the airline would also commence daily service on the Delhi-Bangkok and Delhi-Singapore routes in September.

“It will subsequently also connect Mumbai with Dubai and Bangkok with daily flights effective Oct 2, 2011,” said the company in a statement.

The airline said it will start its international services with a promotional return airfare of Rs.9,999 which would be inclusive of taxes on all its international routes.

Meanwhile, aviation analysts hailed the development and called it a game-changer in India’s international civil aviation segment as the country will now have three LCCs, including SpiceJet and Air India Express, operating flights to international destinations.

“Yes, it will have an impact on the market,” said Amber Dubey, director for defence and aerospace with global consultancy KPMG, referring to the current scenario, where Indian carriers transport up to 40 percent of Indian passengers travelling overseas as there is no further capacity expansion.

“This is an extremely positive development. It will certainly boost competition, improve the operational efficiencies of carriers and, more importantly, offer better deals for the Indian passengers flying abroad,” Dubey told IANS.

With the norms governing Indian carriers to fly abroad requiring minimum five years of operations and 20 aircraft, IndiGo will join the select league of only four Indian carriers to operate flights to abroad.

According to officials at the Directorate General for Civil Aviation (DGCA), the civil aviation watchdog, IndiGo’s international rights will allow operations from cities in India to Singapore, Bangkok, Dubai and Muscat to begin with.

Earlier, the budget airline which is eyeing a handsome stake in the international segment, had stunned the Indian aviation space in January when it announced a $15-billion deal with the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus Industries for buying 180 A-320 aircraft.