Why IndiGo is betting on low fare for long-haul

IndiGo is eager to take its pared-down model to UK, Europe, though carriers have stayed away

In over a decade since its launch, IndiGo has become the biggest Indian carrier, with a track record of consistent profitability, riding on its low-cost model. Now, the airline is keen to repeat its domestic success with long-haul flights abroad.

While IndiGo already flies overseas to short-haul destinations such as Dubai, Kathmandu and Bangkok, it is eager to pilot its way to cities in the UK and Europe that have an in-flight time of longer than seven hours. That explains Indigo’s unsolicited bid for the debt-laden and loss-making Air India last month, after the Union cabinet gave its in-principle nod