India’s growth to boost Southeast Asia’s aviation market
IndiGo’s Southeast Asia expansions always trigger strong growth in demand
India’s significant economic expansion is anticipated to bolster Southeast Asia’s aviation market, including Thailand’s aviation sector, as noted by the Indian airline IndiGo, which intends to introduce its new business class seating to Bangkok and Phuket.
IndiGo Chief Executive Pieter Elbers highlighted that whenever new Southeast Asian destinations are launched or route capacities increased, there is a notable surge in travel demand for IndiGo.
India’s strategic geographical location enables the airline to offer four-five hour flights with competitive products and services to the region.
Currently, India ranks as the fifth-largest outbound travel market globally and is projected to ascend to the world’s third-largest economy by 2027. The country’s youthful demographic and expanding middle class are expected to further support the aviation industry.
IndiGo has emerged as the world’s largest purchaser of aircraft, placing an order for 500 single-aisle planes from the Airbus A320 family in 2023. Elbers pointed out that there remain unexploited opportunities on international routes, as India has just 0.06 international seats per capita, nearly half of China’s 0.11 seats per capita.
IndiGo has been growing its presence in Southeast Asia, covering regions such as Thailand, Malaysia, and Singapore.
In 2024, the airline introduced its IndiGoStretch business class on key domestic routes in India, including Delhi to Mumbai and Bengaluru. Last month, this new class was expanded to regional routes connecting Delhi and Mumbai with Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket, and Dubai.
Elbers noted that the demand for flights between Bangkok and Indian cities is roughly equal among Indian and Thai passengers. However, the new route to Krabi primarily attracts Indian tourists.
The airline operates 787-9 Dreamliners on the Delhi-Bangkok route, among other wide-body aircraft under a damp lease with Norse Atlantic.
During the International Air Transport Association’s (IATA) annual general summit in Delhi last month, IndiGo announced an additional firm order for 30 wide-body A350-900s, supplementing an existing 30 orders.
Currently, IndiGo serves 91 domestic cities with 500 routes in India, holding the largest market share domestically, along with 41 international destinations. The airline plans to expand to 95 domestic and 51 international destinations by next year, reported Bangkok Post.
IndiGo’s current seating capacity on international routes, measured in available seat kilometres (ASK), is nearing 30%, with aspirations to raise this to 40% by 2030. The airline transported over 118 million passengers during the fiscal year ending in March 2025, with expectations to double this figure by 2030, according to Elbers. IndiGo’s fleet is also recognised for its youth, with an average age of 4.38 years.
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