IndiGo Expands Dominance from Durgapur with Three New Routes

Since SpiceJet ceased operations at Durgapur Andal Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, IndiGo is the exclusive operator serving at the airport. The airline is currently operating flights from Durgapur to five cities. Soon, the number of connections will be increased from five to eight, as the airline is looking to launch three new services in August month.

After connecting the airport to metro cities, the airline is now focusing on Tier 2 market.

IndiGo: Three New Connections From Durgapur

From 30 August, IndiGo will launch three new connections from Durgapur Airport. The steel city will get connectivity to Bhubaneswar, Guwahati, and Bagdogra. Bookings have been commenced on the airline website. Here is a detailed view of these flights:

Bhubaneswar to Durgapur

With effect from August 30, IndiGo will operate daily flights between Bhubaneswar and Durgapur. The airline will deploy its 70-seater ATR-72 on this route. Here is a look at flight timings:

Bagdogra to Durgapur

From 30 August, IndiGo will connect Durgapur to Bagdogra. Flights will be operated three times a week on Sundays, Mondays, and Fridays. ATR-72 will be used for this route as well. For Bagdogra, this will be the 7th domestic connection from IndiGo Airlines. This will become the first ATR route for IndiGo from Siliguri. Here is a look at flight timings:

Guwahati to Durgapur

From 31 August, IndiGo will connect Durgapur to Guwahati with three weekly flights. Flights will be operational on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Similar to the other two routes, the ATR will be deployed here as well. Here is a look at flight timings:

With these launches, Durgapur Airport will be handling the ATR-72 operations of IndiGo. Currently, the airline is operating with the Airbus fleet.

IndiGo: Exclusive Operator at Durgapur Airport

This move comes just days after SpiceJet ceased its services at Durgapur Airport. The airline suspended its Mumbai and Chennai to Durgapur service. To fill the gap of SpiceJet, IndiGo started flights between Chennai and Durgapur, saving the route from being abandoned.

At present, IndiGo is the only airline operating flights from Durgapur Airport. It connects Durgapur to five Indian cities as follows:

• Durgapur to Delhi: 7X weekly with Airbus A321neo
• Durgapur to Mumbai: 4X weekly with Airbus A320neo
• Durgapur to Hyderabad: 7X weekly with Airbus A320neo
• Durgapur to Bengaluru: 7X weekly with Airbus A320/1neo
• Durgapur to Chennai: 3X weekly with Airbus A320neo

These new launches will save a lot of time for passengers traveling between both cities. By road, the route connecting Bengaluru and Durgapur takes more than nine hours. By air, it can be easily covered within an hour.

Samir Banerjee, a former AAI coordinating in charge at Durgapur Airport said that whenever an airline wants to expand operations, it majorly looks at three factors: PLF potential, runway capability, and landing aids at the airport. Durgapur has all the three capabilities. The 2,800-metre runway is fitted with CAT-I ILS, which allows an Airbus A320neo to land even in visibility as low as 800 meters.

Conclusion

IndiGo, the largest airline in India is all set to start flights from Durgapur to three more Indian cities, namely Bhubaneswar, Bagdogra, and Guwahati. The airline will be operating 13 times a week between these cities. With this, the number of connections from Durgapur Airport will increase to eight.

What do you think about the expansion of IndiGo Airlines from Durgapur Airport? Discuss in the comment section.