Budget carrier IndiGo forecasts slowdown in capacity growth next year

By Akriti Sharma

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd., which operates India’s biggest airline IndiGo, forecast slower capacity growth in the fiscal year starting April 1.

The budget carrier expects capacity to grow in the “early double digits” next year, with a similar rate of increase in the number of passengers it flies, it said in an analyst presentation Friday. The pace is slower than growth seen in the December quarter and guidance for the current financial year. 

IndiGo’s capacity grew by almost 27 per cent last quarter, while the number of passengers carried rose by more than 23 per cent. The airline also said it met its guidance of capacity expansion in “north of mid-teens” and flying more than 100 million passengers in the financial year ending March 31.

The carrier aims to add more than one aircraft to its fleet every week next year. As of Feb 29, it operated 366 planes, and had a further 960 on order.

IndiGo dominates India’s domestic aviation market despite some erosion in market — which fell to around 60 per cent in February from more than 63 per cent in July, according to data from India’s aviation regulator.

IndiGo plans to add 10 new destinations in fiscal 2025 and manage a fleet of more than 600 aircraft by 2030 as it expects the number of fliers in India to more than double by the end of the decade.