Schiphol has welcomed a new airline and not just any one. Indigo flight 21 landed this morning from Mumbai. The airline from India is the fastest growing in the world and is led by former KLM CEO Pieter Elbers. He is transforming Indigo from a regional low-cost carrier into a global powerhouse.
Elbers is very confident that the slots for the winter will also be secured. ‘I think there is also something like fair market access and free market access.’ He pointed out the inequality between the number of flights between India and the Netherlands by Indian carriers and KLM. (7 to 25).
Global
Elbers sees the arrival in Amsterdam as a first step towards a global presence. ‘For Indigo it is fantastic that we are taking this step. We have added a lot of destinations in recent years. When I arrived we had 97 and this is destination 133. But Europe is of course becoming a different story. We were mainly expanding in the region. And this is actually our first operation in Europe. Yesterday in Manchester and today in Amsterdam. It is the start of our European expansion plan.’
During the summer, Indigo will fly three times a week between Amsterdam and Mumbai. The winter slots are not yet certain, but Elbers is adamant: ‘we are not coming here to leave again after a few months.’ In the long term, when more aircraft are available, he would like to grow to five and eventually seven flights a week.
Yesterday, the airline also opened a route to Manchester and later this year Copenhagen, London and Athens will follow.
At the moment, Indigo is flying with a leased aircraft from Norse. In the coming years, it will receive new aircraft for the long haul operation, the A321XLR and the Airbus 350.
A comprehensive interview with Pieter Elbers in Summit will follow.
