‘India is giving selective traffic rights wherever it makes sense to allocate those traffic rights.’
IMAGE: IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers addresses a press conference, in New Delhi. Photograph: Jitender Gupta/ANI Photo
The image being portrayed by some airlines that India is not granting more bilateral flying rights to anyone is “wrong”, and the country has simply been selective in allocating them based on demand and two-way utilisation, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said on Wednesday.
His comments come months after Emirates President Tim Clark criticised India’s restrictive stance on granting additional bilateral rights to Dubai, saying that restricting air access to foreign carriers is akin to “shooting yourself in the foot” since aviation is a “wealth multiplier” for the economy.
India has so far been reluctant to expand bilateral flying rights for the UAE and Qatar, as West Asian hubs like Dubai and Doha primarily serve as transit points for Indian passengers traveling onward to North America and Europe.
At the same time, Indian carriers are steadily inducting wide-body aircraft and ramping up non-stop operations to long-haul destinations.
Elbers, while talking during a panel discussion at Aviation India Summit 2025, acknowledged that around 40 of IndiGo’s aircraft are currently grounded due to Pratt and Whitney engine issues.
He said that while the situation was “frustrating”, there was little point in “endlessly complaining” about it and the airline would rather focus its efforts on solutions.
IndiGo, he said, was pursuing several mitigating measures such as securing damp leases, extending existing leases, and bringing back aircraft to maintain capacity.
“If you have 40 planes grounded, it’s a terrible number.
“But by expressing each and every earnings call, how many are grounded, by saying that we are extremely frustrated, it doesn’t bring any of these planes back in production,” Elbers said.
“We have put all our emphasis on mitigating measures… rather than spending half an hour on complaining about what it is, I rather explain half an hour what exactly we are doing to mitigate the impact.
“And yes, when the doors are closed and the mics are off, of course, I’m frustrated about it, but it doesn’t bring the resolution any closer by endlessly complaining about it,” he added.
Shifting focus to India’s international aviation policy, Elbers said that much of the current debate around bilateral flying rights overlooked the progress already made by the Indian government in selectively updating air service agreements.
“In today’s India, we have a set of operators who are committed to build their international presence as a long-term venture.
“It’s not a short-term thing,” Elbers said, adding that both the government and private sector were investing heavily in aviation infrastructure.
“Quite a few countries, over the past few years, have updated their air service agreements with India.
“It has been done with Kuwait and Indonesia.
“So, I think the image which some like to portray is that India is not giving any traffic rights, it’s just wrong.
“India is giving selective traffic rights wherever it makes sense to allocate those traffic rights,” he stated.
He added that opportunities continued to exist within the existing bilateral framework, with the government factoring in the balance of utilisation between India and other countries.
“We have put out massive aircraft orders – including wide bodies – as Indian operators.
“IndiGo actually doubled our wide-body order with Airbus to 60 already.
“So that’s just a massive number. And, for that, obviously we need traffic rights,” Elbers said.
Elbers noted that IndiGo’s international expansion continues apace.
“We are now operating 2,300 daily flights now,” he said, adding that this winter season, the airline is serving 18 additional destinations — 12 domestic and six international — compared with last year.
He said demand for non-stop international routes had been strong, with passengers responding positively to direct flights to destinations such as London, Manchester, and Copenhagen.
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