Indian Airlines, Where to Next? An AvGeek Parikh Analysis

India and Indian airlines are, at this point, witnessing a tremendous growth. Having said that, there has been an increase in demand to service to a number of unserved destinations from different point in India. To add to that, the massive orders of 470 and 500 aircrafts placed by Air India and Indigo respectively, is a good indicator that there is more to come, in terms of expansion of routes for these airlines. Let us examine and discuss routes that could be started by airlines in India within 2-5 years. Please note that I won't be Including SpiceJet on this list as it as of now isn't looking to expand further internationally as financial and legal trouble haunt the carrier.

1. Akasa Air

The new kid on the block in Indian aviation, Akasa air was started in 2022 and just recently has acquired rights from the DGCA to fly internationally. Operating a fleet of 737MAX jets, It is also being reported that Akasa intends to first fly to the middle east and then to other parts of Asia where significant demand persists. As of now, the airline has been allocated rights to Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Qatar which means Akasa Air can fly to popular destinations like Doha, Kuwait, Riyadh, Jeddah and Dammam. Since Doha is a popular destination among Indians and also being the closest to India, I could see it being started first followed by Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. The flights most probably may be operated from either Mumbai or Delhi. Also worth noting is the absence of Dubai in Akasa's potential destinations map since there has been an exhaustion in bilateral rights between India and Dubai. Later on, the airline may look to destinations like Sri Lanka, Singapore and

2. Indigo

Indigo, India's largest airline with a whopping 63 percent share, is on the role as of late. Not only it has given the single largest order in aviation history of 500 airbus narrow body jets but has also expanded its operations to a number of destinations around the world like Nairobi,Tblisi,Jakarta,Almaty,Taskent,Hong Kong and many others. However, that's not all, with the order for the A321XLR jets and also a potential order for 787 which however isn't finalized, this opens up opportunities for Indigo to open up new long-haul routes. The CEO of Indigo has stated that the A321XLR can help start flights between Delhi/Mumbai to destinations like China,Japan,Athens,Rome,Geneva etc. Other destinations I can see happening is Vietnam from either Mumbai or Delhi since there has been a surge in demand for travel to Vietnam. Following Vistara, Indigo could also follow on the BOM-MRU route. Other routes include Phnom Pehn in Cambodia, Bali and Cairo which have a potential in Indigo's route network.

3. Air India

The national carrier of India, Air India currently is undergoing a massive transformation phase which also includes expanding its wings to destinations far away. Since Air India is one of 3 (Soon 2 since Vistara will merge with Air India), it could look to fly to destinations far away which also includes popular destinations in the US and the UK. In the US, destinations like Dallas/Houston, Los Angeles and Boston are under works. I believe that Los Angeles could be started once the A350s have been delivered followed by Boston and Texas which are all places with a high Indian expatriate population. Destinations like Manchester and Johannesburg have also been on the Wishlist for Air India ever since these destinations were terminated in the 1990s. With the new aircraft and a willingness to expand, will the airline return to its 2 popular former destinations? only time shall tell. There have also been rumors about a South Indian hub for Air India which could be either Hyderabad or Bengaluru. So, it's quite likely we could see HYD/BLR-LHR/FRA since there has been a surge in traffic between Europe and South of India and Europeans airlines climbing on the opportunity, which makes it about time for Air India to begin these routes.

4. Air India Express AIX

A subsidiary of Air India, Air India Express was launched in 2004 and primarily flies domestically and internationally mostly to the gulf states from the south of India which mind you, is an extremely lucrative market. However, just like its parent company, Air India Express is also looking to expand further. Aiding their ambitions is the merger with AirAsia India creating a massive TATA backed low-cost carrier but also a large, incoming fleet of 737MAX'S. Recently, the airline has also expressed interest to fly to destinations in Turkey, the Philippines, Vietnam, Cambodia and China. The Airline could also resume flights to Malaysia since the market has expanded greatly courtesy of bilaterals between both the countries with Malaysia Airline's expansion being an Indicator of that fact.

5. Vistara

Despite the airline being in process of being merged with Air India, Vistara does not plan to give on its ambitions as it looks to continue to expand. Mumbai to Paris is one of the first routes Vistara wants to start as soon as its 6th 787 arrives. However, the route for the 7th 787 remains a mystery. Many people speculate that it could be Amsterdam, taking over Air India or also Manchester. The airline was also slated to Begin flights to Bali which it could do in the coming months.