Launched in to action for providing services in air travel industry in August 2006, Indigo Airlines are today one of the biggest privately owned airlines in India. The brain child of two Delhi based businessmen Rakesh Gangwal and Rahul Bhatia, it started its services in the domestic sector of our country, as a low air fare, air line service, with its base at Gurgaon, Haryana. During the course of time, undertaking a systematic system of working and management, and under the guidance of Bruce Ashby, who worked for US Airways as an executive vice president and marketing planner, as the CEO, the corporation has went on to achieve many heights of success.
Indigo Airlines basically work with Airbus A320-200 air planes. The first domestic flight of the airline took place between Guwahati to New Delhi, with a stop at Imphal on 4th August 2006. Starting with a fleet of just one Air bus on the first day of its operation, the company kept on adding to that number with such frequency that by the end of the year, they were in possession of 6 aircrafts and it the number was more than double in the year 2007, the count reaching 15.
As per the rules and regulations in India, a domestic sector airline service provider is only allowed to enter international business once it has completed 5 years of serving the people at national level. Once they were eligible for their upgrade, Indigo Airlines shared their plans for their international services in August 2011, and planned to start their services from the month of September to four international destinations namely Dubai, Muscat, Singapore and Bangkok. And with reference to this aspect itself, they had shifted their base to the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.
Since its induction into the airline industry and starting its services with just one aircraft, today the total strength of the Airbus fleet owned by Indigo Airlines is more than 40. As far as the working and management is concerned, around 26 major and minor cities in our country and covered by them with an outstanding rate of more than 250 flights in a single day. At an event held in Paris, France during the year 2005, an order for 150 Airbus A320 with New Engine Option (NEO) was placed by the airline and a Memorandum of Understanding worth US$6 billion was signed, making it one of the biggest deals signed over the fair. The deliveries of the aircrafts are supposed to start by the year 2016 and the last lot is expected to be handed over by the year 2025.
Owing to its excellent services and outstanding assistances provided by it in the airline sector, Indigo Airlines climbed up its way to become one of the best low fare air lines in India, and the same is reflected by the fact that it was named as the best Low cost airline in India, at a ceremony held at Paris Air Show in June 2011.
