IndiGo offers connectivity to USA via codeshare connections with Turkish Airlines

Improving its international network, domestic carrier IndiGo on Friday launched new connections via Istanbul to the United States of America, offering passengers connectivity to New York, Boston, Chicago and Washington via its codeshare partnership with Turkish Airlines.

The expansion will come into effect on June 15, 2023.

"By offering seamless travel experiences at affordable fares, we aim to create more opportunities for Indian travelers to discover and connect with these exceptional destinations," said Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales, IndiGo in a release.

"These connections will not only support the burgeoning trade and commerce between the countries, but also offer increased options to students & tourists alike. This expansion reinforces our vision to strengthen international reach while offering on-time performance, and hassle-free service across our unparalleled network," he added.

In a departure from its single-aisle strategy, IndiGo earlier this year began international operations to Istanbul with a Boeing 777, its first wide-body aircraft, taken from codeshare partner Turkish Airlines, which provides the pilots.

IndiGo, India's largest airlines, earlier in June announced that it will start direct flights to six new destinations in Africa and Central Asia, including to Nairobi, Tbilisi and Tashkent, this year. Once these routes are operational, the budget airline will be connecting a total of 32 international destinations compared to 26 currently.

While noting that it is taking a "massive step in its international expansion strategy," IndiGo said it will be adding an "impressive 174 new weekly international flights between June and September 2023, including new destinations, routes, and frequencies".

The expansion also comes at a time when there is a rising demand for international travel from, to and via India, as well as the government's efforts to develop an international aviation hub in the country.

The bullish outlook by IndiGo comes as the world's third-largest aviation market is seeing a strong rebound in travel post-COVID, with domestic and international passenger numbers surging despite high fares.

IndiGo aims to double its capacity by the end of the decade and expand its network, especially in international markets, Elbers told analysts last month during an earnings call.

The airline has a codeshare partnership with seven carriers including Turkish Airlines, American Airlines and KLM.

Currently, IndiGo provides codeshare connections to 33 destinations in Europe including Scotland, Bulgaria, Spain, the Netherlands, Greece, Belgium, Hungary, Denmark, the Republic of Ireland, the United Kingdom, Malta, France, the Czech Republic, Israel, Austria, Switzerland, Italy, and Portugal.

Airbus is closing towards a potentially record deal to sell 500 narrow-body A320-family jets to India's largest carrier IndiGo, Reuters reported recently citing sources. The European planemaker has emerged as front-runner for an order eclipsing Air India's historic provisional purchase of 470 jets in February, the sources said on the sidelines of an airline industry meeting in Istanbul.


IndiGo, the country's largest airline with a domestic market share of more than 57 per cent, has a fleet of over 300 planes and operates more than 1,800 daily flights.