India's low-cost carrier, Indigo, is preparing to launch its second service to the UAE by the end of this year. The airline, which flies over 1400 flights per day across 58 domestic destinations and 21 international destinations, is setting its sights on routes to Sharjah.

Better connections for trade

Starting from 1st October 2019, Indigo will offer a route from the Punjab city of Amritsar to Sharjah in the Middle East. This will be the airline's second route to the region after it launched a service from Amistar to Dubai, alongside other Middle Eastern routes.

The airline already operates a Mumbai to Dubai route, the fourth daily service of which began on 25th August this year. Whilst connections between this part of the UAE and Mumbai are strong, Chief Commercial Officer, William Boulter, has said that the airline is keen to strengthen the relationship between other areas of India and the UAE. He is quoted by Business Traveller as saying,

“...direct connections with the UAE will not only enhance mobility but also promote trade opportunities between the two regions."

The UAE is already working on a deal to place a large food park within Punjab state and there is hope that adding further travel opportunities will help business potential.

The new Sharjah route will fly a round-trip daily on the following schedule:

Flight number 6E 0047: departing Amritsar at 1135, arriving at 1335.

Flight number 6E 0048: departing Sharjah 1435, arriving at 1940. 

Flights are now open for booking with prices starting from as low as INR 6,899 (equivalent to USD $97). The new route will be flown by the Airbus A320.

New routes amid airline success

The airline has a total of 240 aircraft in its fleet mostly made up of the Airbus A320. Earlier this year, in May 2019, the carrier was in talks to receive some of Airbus' newest A321 aircraft; the A321neo LR and the A321XLR. That was after it changed its order from 25 A321s to 150 A321s in November 2018. Currently, it has five A321neo.

And with this new aircraft, Indigo is setting its sights high. It already flies a route from Delhi to London Gatwick, which it launched in March this year but also has hopes to increase the European destinations it flies to, including another London service.

A low-cost carrier operating successfully in India is something we don't often hear of. So to what does Indigo attribute its success?

Well, with the demise of Jet Airways, Indigo is likely to be benefitting from the additional airport slots that it once owned. And with additional services offered to competitive destinations, Indigo is able to win passengers' favor. In India, cheap fares are king and, as we know, its the fares and good service that will see returning customers.

And, what's more, the airline has a reputation to prove its success. In August 2019, it won the award for 'Best Domestic Airline' in the first Travel and Tourism Excellence Award, held in Delhi.

According to its press release, CCO Mr Boutler exclaimed,

“It is our absolute honour to be recognised by the top business organisation in the country. Being the first ones to hold the title of the ‘Best Domestic Airline’ is not only celebratory, but it is also encouraging for us to strive to be the best consistently”.

How do you feel about Indigo's success? Are you happy with the launch of its new routes? Let us know in the comments below!