GoAir is all set to commence its international flight operations in October. The low cost carrier for the first time will offer direct flights between Mumbai and Delhi to Phuket, Thailand from October 11, 2018. Following the launch, the airline has also announced their second route which will be between Mumbai and Delhi to Male from October 14, 2018.
Speaking about the international debut Cornelis Vrieswijk, CEO, GoAir said, “GoAir will offer the first direct flight for Phuket from Delhi and Mumbai. This will be followed by a direct flight to Male from Mumbai and Delhi. These destinations will also be connected to Bengaluru in the near future. We want tap into the significant growing demand for these leisure destinations. Both these destinations are growing significantly every year from India. There is also a significant demand on the Thailand to India route when it comes to business travel. We will have thrice weekly services to Male and Phuket from Mumbai and twice weekly from Delhi to these destinations. This is the start for us to fly internationally; we will explore more routes in the future.”
He further said that the future plan will be commencing operations from Bengaluru and then increase frequencies from all three destinations.
The airline has deployed the A320 aircrafts for these routes. The airline now flies to 23 destinations with over 1500 weekly flights. Also, the airline will look at aggressive domestic expansion.
Speaking about the growth, Vrieswijik said, “We are operating to 23 destinations in India with around 1500 weekly flights with 2000 connections. We fly over a million passengers every month. In terms of load factors we are high in the 80’s. However the market is extremely competitive, unlike a lot of other markets. The initiative of operating with A320 neos is a blessing for us. Being a low cost carrier, these aircrafts are 80-90 per cent more efficient when it comes to fuel burning. We had a few issues with the engines produced by Pratt and Whitney, but we are working very closely with them to enhance and improvise this. Soon we will get this problems resolved. There are a lot of challenges in operations, as market is competitive. The only way to survive in this market is to be low cost as possible. We are investing a lot in smart technology for cost advantage over our competitors.”
GoAir is also scouting for more international routes to commence operations. The airline is also considering long haul destinations.
Vrieswijik added, “We are also looking at some wide-bodied aircraft options, in future will also look at long haul routes. We are meeting with some of the aircraft manufacturers for initial discussions. We will explore more international routes apart from growing the domestic markets. We will accelerate growth and will look at controlled growth.”
