IndiGo CEO Elbers’ exit puts India’s competitive airline industry in focus

Indian ​budget airline IndiGo said on ​Tuesday that Pieter Elbers would step down as CEO ​with immediate effect, months after mass flight cancellations that left tens of thousands of passengers stranded drew regulatory scrutiny. As Elbers’ more than three-year tenure at IndiGo ends, ‌here’s a look at ⁠India’s ⁠airlines by the numbers:

INDIGO

IndiGo is India’s biggest airline, with a market share of ​nearly 64% and a fleet size of 440 aircraft as of end-December. It operates ​more than 2,200 daily flights, connecting 95 domestic and more than 40 international destinations. During Elbers’ tenure, IndiGo expanded its international network, including the ​launch of long-haul flights to Europe using aircraft ⁠wet-leased from ‌Norway’s Norse Atlantic . IndiGo also placed a record order ​for 500 ​Airbus A320 family aircraft during Elbers’ time at the ⁠helm, their first-ever order for long haul, wide body ​jets, and departed from its no-frills strategy with the ​launch of a premium cabin.

AIR INDIA

The Air India Group, which has a market share of about 27%, has a combined fleet of 290 aircraft, including 104 at its budget carrier Air India Express. Air India, owned by India’s Tata Group and Singapore Airlines , operates ‌non-stop flights to 42 international destinations across five continents.

AKASA AIR

A relatively new entrant to the sector, Akasa Air has ​a market share ​of nearly 5%, ⁠making it India’s third-largest airline. It has a fleet of 35 aircraft. Besides connecting Indian cities, it also flies to locations in the Middle ​East, including Jeddah, Riyadh, Doha and Abu Dhabi, as well as Phuket in Thailand.SPICEJET

Budget carrier SpiceJet has a market share of about 4% with an operational fleet of 33 aircraft as of end-December. It mostly operates domestic flights, with a few international destinations such as Dubai and Fujairah.