The codeshare agreement between the national carrier and India’s largest passenger airline was announced in New Delhi on Thursday; first codeshare flights to operate from December 18
Qatar Airways has signed a codeshare agreement with IndiGo, India’s largest passenger airline. Sales started on Thursday with the first codeshare flights to operate from December 18.
The codeshare agreement was announced at a media event in New Delhi attended by Qatar Airways Group Chief Executive HE Akbar al-Baker and IndiGo Chief Executive Officer Ronojoy Dutta.
The agreement will enable the national airline to place its code on IndiGo flights between Doha and Delhi, Mumbai and Hyderabad and is the first step in strengthening cooperation between the ‘World’s best airline’ and the ‘Best low-cost airline in India’.
Al-Baker said, ‘We are extremely proud to secure this strategic partnership with IndiGo, the largest airline in one of the world’s fastest growing aviation markets. We believe this agreement will be just the first step in strengthening our relationship and we very much look forward to working together to harness our complementary strengths and resources to enhance the travel experience for our passengers around the world.’
Dutta said, ‘This is a momentous occasion for us, as we sign this codeshare agreement with one of the finest airlines in the world. This strategic alliance will not only strengthen our international operations, but also boost economic growth in India, by bringing in more traffic and heralding opportunities for trade and tourism through seamless mobility.
‘We are confident of a successful partnership as we extend our signature on-time, courteous and hassle-free service experience to the passengers of Qatar Airways. These are exciting times for the aviation industry and it is our commitment to remain focused in building one of the best air transportation systems in the world.’
Qatar Airways currently operates 102 weekly flights between Doha and 13 destinations in India, including Ahmedabad, Amritsar, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Goa, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Kozhikode, Mumbai, Nagpur and Thiruvananthapuram.
The airline’s cargo division, Qatar Airways Cargo, currently operates a total of 28 weekly freighters to seven destinations in India. The top three cargo destinations in India are Mumbai, Chennai and Ahmedabad.
A multiple award-winning airline, Qatar Airways was named ‘World’s Best Airline’ by the 2019 World Airline Awards, managed by the international air transport rating organisation Skytrax. It was also named ‘Best Airline in the Middle East’, ‘World’s Best Business Class’, and ‘Best Business Class Seat’, in recognition of its ground-breaking Business Class experience, Qsuite.
Qatar Airways currently operates a modern fleet of more than 250 aircraft via its hub, Hamad International Airport (HIA), to more than 160 destinations worldwide.
IndiGo is India’s largest passenger airline with a domestic market share of 47% as of August 2019 and is amongst the fastest growing carriers in the world. IndiGo has a simple philosophy: offer low fares and an on-time, courteous, hassle-free service. With its fleet of over 240 aircraft, the airline offers almost 1,500 daily flights and connects 60 domestic destinations and 23 international destinations.