Sky wars: India’s Indigo drastically cuts tickets prices

India’s largest airline by passenger numbers – Indigo, has announced changes to its flight ticket pricing model as the holiday season comes to an end.

Two major changes – removal of fuel surcharge and fixed seat costs will mean that passengers flying in the lean season will pay considerably less for bookings made this week onwards.

No fuel surcharge

IndiGo announced the removal of the fuel charge, for both domestic and international destinations, after a recent reduction in (Aviation Turbine Fuel) ATF prices. The fuel charge was introduced in October 2023, following a surge in ATF prices.

“As ATF prices are dynamic, we will continue to adjust our fares and components thereof, to respond to any change in prices or market conditions. IndiGo remains committed to its promise of providing of affordable, on-time, courteous, and hassle-free travel for our customers,” said the airline in a press release.

Indigo currently flies to three airports in the UAE – Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. It has an extensive network linking Indian cities to those in the country with daily flights between Dubai and Bengaluru, Delhi, Hyderabad, Mumbai, Mangalore, Thiruvananthapuram, Chennai, Chandigarh, Kochi, Kozhikode, and Amritsar.

Indigo’s new seat prices

The airline has however, increased its prices for seat selection for both – domestic and international flights.

For flights within India, selecting a window or aisle seat on the front row will cost INR2,000, on an A321 aircraft with 222 seats. For the aisle seat, the airline will charge INR1,500 for the aisle seat in the same row. For the second and third row, all seat types have a flat rate of INR400.

For international flights, the window or aisle seat on the front row will cost INR3,000 while the middle row charge is fixed at INR2500, on an A321 aircraft with 222 seats. For the second and third row, all seat types have a flat rate of INR550.

Check the full seat plan below:

The airline has published its seat prices for other aircraft types as well.

100 million passengers

IndiGo etched its name in the aviation history books at the end of 2023 as it welcomed its 100 millionth passenger. This was the first time that an Indian airline flew 100 million passengers in a single calendar year.

The Indian airline registered this milestone as its traffic numbers grew by 22 per cent year-on-year as it reported 78 million passengers in 2022.