IndiGo Urges Equal Slot Access for Flights to Europe

IndiGo Airlines CEO Pieter Elbers has called for fair and balanced access to airport slots between India and Europe, highlighting what he describes as a clear market imbalance. Speaking to The Hindu, Elbers said Indian airlines face far greater difficulty obtaining takeoff and landing slots at major European hubs, while European carriers benefit from easier access to Indian airports.

Elbers pointed out that Indian passengers drive most of the demand on India-Europe routes, yet Indian carriers are often limited to serving one or two European gateways due to slot restrictions. By contrast, European airlines operate freely to multiple Indian cities, creating what he termed an uneven playing field.

According to data from ch-aviation, eight Indian airports currently have direct links to Europe, including Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Chennai, Ahmedabad, Amritsar, and Goa. Air India leads the market with about 36,000 weekly seats, followed by Lufthansa and IndiGo.

IndiGo has had to use creative methods to expand in Europe, such as securing five weekly slots for its Mumbai-Amsterdam route through a swap with codeshare partner KLM. Air India has also increased London Heathrow flights by leasing slots from Middle East Airlines, while IndiGo leases Heathrow slots from Virgin Atlantic.

Elbers criticized the long-standing “grandfathering” of slots at crowded European airports, saying it unfairly benefits legacy airlines. IndiGo currently operates from Delhi and Mumbai to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Baku, Istanbul, Manchester, Tbilisi, and London Heathrow.

Related News: https://airguide.info/category/air-travel-business/airline-finance/

Sources: AirGuide Business airguide.info, bing.com, ch-aviation.com