IndiGo charts bold Europe push: Amsterdam key to connect US, EU; CEO says carrier offers 'global twist' on India
'This is more than just adding two destinations. It's a shift in product, partnerships and profile,' Elbers told PTI, calling the expansion into Europe a 'momentous occasion' and signalling a broader transformation for India's largest airline.
IndiGo began flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam on July 1 and 2, respectively. Elbers, speaking in Amsterdam a day after the inaugural arrival, said, 'The story now is by touching in Europe… the change is much more profound.'
With a fleet of over 400 aircraft, IndiGo already connects 90+ Indian cities and 40 global destinations. The carrier plans to add 10 new overseas points by March 2026, including London, Copenhagen, and Athens, as part of its growing global ambitions.
'Amsterdam is a great airport for connectivity,' Elbers said, adding, 'It will certainly become an important point to connect from here to the rest of Europe and North America.'
IndiGo is currently operating three weekly flights each to Manchester and Amsterdam using a damp-leased Boeing 787-9 from Norway's Norse Atlantic Airways. The airline plans to induct three more of these wide-body jets between October and November, with two additional aircraft expected in early 2026, PTI reported.
IndiGo's international shift also includes the induction of long-range Airbus A321 XLRs, expected by late 2025 or early 2026.
These aircraft will allow it to serve thinner, medium-haul routes directly from Indian cities.
'It (A321 XLR) will allow us to add new destinations such as Athens,' Elbers said. 'It will also allow us to do destinations from different points in India. Today, we fly to Nairobi from Mumbai. Perhaps in the future, given the huge Gujarati community in that part of Africa, we may operate out of Ahmedabad. I'm not saying we do, but we may.'
As IndiGo prepares for long-haul services, Elbers said the airline is evolving internally to offer different cabin experiences tailored to route types, without losing the essence of its efficient, no-frills model.
'We are a fit-for-purpose airline,' he said. 'What we have now done is made groups of products depending on the routes we operate. So the product we have now on Manchester, we can also use the same for London or for Copenhagen.'
The goal, Elbers said, is to deliver a unique blend: 'It should be sort of contemporary Indian or Indian with a global twist type of approach. That is what's the objective.'
Elbers added that while Indian passengers should feel at home, non-Indian travellers should experience a culturally immersive introduction to India — beginning right from their flight.
Stay informed with the latest
business
news, updates on
bank holidays
and
public holidays
.
AI Masterclass for Students. Upskill Young Ones Today!– Join Now
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hindu
6 minutes ago
- The Hindu
Private sector share in defence production hits record 22.56% in FY 2024-25
For the third consecutive year, the contribution of private manufacturers to India's total defence production has increased. According to data from the Department of Defence Production, private sector companies contributed ₹33,979 crore (22.56%) to the total defence production of ₹1,50,590 crore in financial year 2024-25. This marks the highest share of private sector participation since 2016-17, when it stood at 19%. In FY 2024-25, defence public sector undertakings (DPSUs) accounted for 57.50% of the total defence production, while Indian ordnance factories contributed 14.49%, and non-defence PSUs 5.4%. Since the opening of the defence manufacturing sector to private players in 2016-17, the contribution of private companies has ranged between 19% and 20%. It stood at 19.39% in 2022-23 and 20.93% in 2023-24, reflecting a steady upward trend. The larger share of production, however, continues to come from the Ordnance Factory Board, DPSUs, other PSUs, and joint ventures. According to the Ministry of Defence, India's defence budget has witnessed a steady rise — from ₹2.53 lakh crore in 2013-14 to ₹6.81 lakh crore in 2025-26. In 2024-25, the country achieved its highest-ever defence production of ₹1.50 lakh crore, more than three times the ₹46,429 crore recorded in 2014-15. 34-fold growth in exports India's defence exports have also surged — from ₹686 crore in 2013-14 to ₹23,622 crore in 2024-25, a 34-fold increase that underscores the government's push for a self-reliant and globally competitive defence industry, the Ministry said. Today, India exports defence equipment to over 100 countries, with the U.S., France, and Armenia, emerging as the top three destinations in 2023-24. To foster private sector participation, the government has introduced several schemes, including Innovations for Defence Excellence (iDEX), the Defence Testing Infrastructure Scheme (DTIS), the Acing Development of Innovative Technologies with iDEX (ADITI) Scheme, and the Technology Development Fund (TDF). In addition, initiatives such as Make in India and the Positive Indigenisation Lists aim to boost innovation, indigenous manufacturing, and self-reliance in the defence sector.
New Indian Express
6 minutes ago
- New Indian Express
As Wang Yi meets Modi, India and China signal cautious reset amid export assurances, border talks
NEW DELHI: Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi called on Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday, a day after assuring External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar that Beijing will resume critical exports to India — including fertilisers, rare earth minerals, and tunnel boring machines — addressing three long-pending Indian demands. The move, a key signal of thawing ties, came ahead of the 24th round of India-China border talks in New Delhi earlier in the day. The export assurance was viewed as a significant confidence-building measure. Sources told TNIE that in his bilateral talks with his Chinese counterpart, Jaishankar underlined India's expectation of stable, uninterrupted supply chains for essential inputs — an issue he had raised with Beijing earlier as well. They added that Wang had responded positively, committing to facilitate the flow of these vital goods. Meanwhile, the MEA said that Jaishankar raised India's concerns regarding the construction of a mega dam on the lower reaches of the Yarlung Tsangpo river during his meeting with Wang. Later in the day after the border talks, the Chinese foreign minitser called on PM Modi, who said both sides have made steady progress guided by respect for each other's interests and sensitivities. PM Modi 'welcomed the steady and positive progress in bilateral ties since his meeting with President Xi in Kazan last year, guided by mutual respect, mutual interest and mutual sensitivity, including the resumption of the Kailash Manasarovar Yatra,' an Indian readout said. Modi 'reiterated India's commitment to a fair, reasonable and mutually acceptable resolution of the boundary question.' Accepting the Chinese President Xi Jinping's invitation to attend the upcoming SCO Summit in Tianjin, Modi said he looked forward to meeting Xi again. 'Stable, predictable, and constructive bilateral ties will contribute significantly to regional and global peace and prosperity,' he said. 'Our leaders have given us the direction, and we must now translate that into durable progress,' Wang told Jaishankar, referring to the Modi-Xi meeting in Kazan in October 2024. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, who led the border talks, highlighted the calm since disengagement last year. 'Borders have been quiet, there has been peace and tranquility, and our bilateral engagements have become more substantial,' Doval said. 'The new environment that has been created has helped us move ahead.' Amid the renewed diplomatic exchanges, Indian government sources clarified there was no change in India's position on Taiwan. 'India has always maintained a relationship with Taiwan focused on economic, technological, and cultural ties; that has not changed,' a source said. Notably, India has been supporting the 'One China' policy, though its reflection in joint statements remained absent ever since Beijing began issuing stapled visa to Indian nationals in Arunachal Pradesh in 2008.
News18
15 minutes ago
- News18
Karnataka Assembly passes Bill for welfare of gig workers
Agency: Bengaluru, Aug 19 (PTI) Karnataka Legislative Assembly on Tuesday passed a Bill that aims to protect the rights of platform-based gig workers, and to place obligations on aggregators in relation to the workers' social security, occupational health, and safety. Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Bill, 2025, proposes a welfare fee of 1 to 5 percent of the payout to the worker during each transaction, for different categories of aggregators or platforms. The Bill provides for transparency in automated monitoring and decision-making systems to provide dispute resolution mechanisms; establish a gig workers welfare board; create a welfare fund for platform-based gig workers; and require platform-based gig workers to be registered with the Board. Also, provide registration of aggregators or platforms; and provide income security and reasonable working conditions to the platform-based gig workers. Earlier, the Karnataka Platform-Based Gig Workers (Social Security and Welfare) Ordinance, 2025 was promulgated in May, as the matter was urgent and both Houses of the State Legislature were not in session. Piloting the Bill for the consideration of the House, Labour Minister Santosh Lad said, 'Gig economy, delivery services — e-commerce or food delivery — are growing in a big way year-on-year. According to the NITI Ayog report, by 2029-30, about 23.5 million workers are expected to be part of it. As per the information we have in Karnataka, it is about 4 lakh gig workers." Noting that gig workers work both full and part-time, and they work amid traffic and pollution, he said, 'to earn Rs 1,600 to 1,800 he has to work for 16 hours. One work is considered one gig, and a worker may get 25 to 30 gigs." Rules under this legislation are already in process, he said. 'Welfare fee of 1-5 percent of a gig worker's payout will be collected. This cannot be equally applied to everyone as Swiggy, Zomato businesses will be different from e-commerce and so on. They are different kinds of businesses. So 1-5 per cent will not be levied equally on everyone. We will discuss and decide on it while framing rules." The provisions of the bill are applicable to services provided by aggregator or platform — ride sharing services; food and grocery delivery services; logistics services; e-Market place (both marketplace and inventory model) for wholesale/retail sale of goods and/or services – Business to Business /Business to Consumer (B2B/B2C); professional activity provider; healthcare; travel and hospitality; and content and media services. Lad said, as per the bill, an aggregator cannot terminate a gig worker from service without prior notice of 14 days and without providing valid reasons in writing. The Assembly also passed the Karnataka Municipal Corporations (Amendment) Bill that will allow municipal commissioners to regularise unlawful buildings by levying a penalty. It also exempts small properties from requiring commencement certificates (CC) and occupancy certificates (OC). The Karnataka Ports (Landing and Shipping Fees) (Amendment) Bill was also passed. The Bill aims to revise the fees on goods shipped in such intervals, as prescribed by the rules; and to increase or decrease the percentage of fee by the Government by notification if fees are not revised within time. Also passed was the Karnataka Essential Services Maintenance (Amendment) Bill, with an intention to extend the provisions of the said original Act for a further period of ten years. The original act aims to curb illegal strikes, ensuring the delivery of essential services to the people. The Karnataka Souharda Sahakari (Amendment) Bill, 2025 was also passed by the Assembly to make Souharda Cooperatives maintain 20 percent of the total deposits as State Statutory Liquid Reserve to manage increasing cases of misappropriation. The move is said to be aimed at protecting the interests of depositors. Among other things, the Bill also provides for funds which are not immediately required for use by a Souharda Co-operative to be invested or deposited outside its business. PTI KSU ADB (This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed - PTI) view comments First Published: August 19, 2025, 21:45 IST News agency-feeds Karnataka Assembly passes Bill for welfare of gig workers Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Loading comments...
