Here's Where IndiGo Is Flying With its First Widebody Flight

Budget airline IndiGo on Tuesday announced that it will operate its first-ever widebody aircraft on the Delhi-Bangkok route starting March 1.

The airline plans to fly to Europe from mid-summer.

"Starting between Delhi and Bangkok, we intend to shift to Europe from mid-summer. Our roots and fundamentals are Indian but increasingly, the world is where we operate," IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said.

The Delhi-Bangkok flight will also include the airline's recently-launched Business Class program ‘IndiGoStretch’.

As part of its international expansion strategy, IndiGo will press into service its recently inducted leased Boeing B787-9 aircraft. 

Earlier this month, IndiGo announced its plans to induct widebody planes via a damp lease agreement with Norwegian low-cost long-haul carrier Norse Atlantic Airways, with plans to commence operations on the plane from next month. 

The move comes as the airline awaits delivery of its Airbus A321XLR widebody aircraft in the 2026 fiscal year and Airbus A350 widebody planes in 2027.

IndiGo’s Long-Haul Plans: In April last year, IndiGo placed its first-ever order for 30 A350 widebody aircraft with Airbus, indicating its plans to operate on long-haul routes. Elbers said that the order would allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players.

At the time of order, Airbus executive vice president sales, commercial aircraft, Benoît de Saint-Exupéry said, “With the A350 selection, IndiGo is now embarking on further opening the world to India. We will support the airline to take this pioneering and strategic step. A big thank you to the IndiGo team for putting their trust in Airbus once again.”

The airline has been rapidly expanding its international network by adding new destinations to its own map as well as via codeshare agreements. In an interview with Skift last year, Elbers said, “Looking at the size of the population, India’s taken its rightful place on the global stage. That’s really helping to further boost international travel, so that’s been a very important cornerstone of our strategy.”

Accor Debuts Pullman Brand in South India

Hospitality company Accor has debuted its Pullman brand in South India. The group currently operates 65 hotels in India and has now added Hotel Pullman Chennai, Anna Salai to its portfolio. The 232- key hotel was formerly Raintree Anna Salai. 

The hotel company currently has 30 new hospitality projects ongoing across India. It is also looking at Tier-3 cities to grow its presence, Garth Simmons, chief operating officer of Accor Asia’s Premium, Midscale & Economy Division said. Moreover, Accor’s partnership with budget airline IndiGo allows it to identify potential locations for further expansion. 

Last year, in an earnings call, CEO Sebastien Bazin said that the group was very interested in India. The country accounted for just 2% of its global operations. Bazin said, “We'll be working on domestic travel in India, but we're going to have to revise our methods.”

Western Odisha to Get a Total of 8 Airports

The Odisha government plans to establish four new airstrips in western Odisha. With this, the total number of airports in the region will increase to eight, state transport minister Bibhuti Jena said in the State Assembly. 

The new airstrips are expected to come up at Jamadarpali (Sambalpur), Satibhata (Bargarh), Gotma (Nuapada) and Tusura (Bolangir). Currently, western Odisha has airports in Koraput, Jharsuguda, Sundargarh, and an airstrip in Kalahandi. All these airports have a direct connectivity with the state capital of Bhubaneswar. 

Jena also said that the Jeypore airport in Koraput will be upgraded. 

Cygnett Hotels Opens Third Property in Jaipur

Cygnet Hotels & Resorts has opened its third property in Jaipur, Rajasthan. The 45-key Cygnett Inn Airport is located close to the Jaipur Airport and aims to cater to the midscale segment travelers in the city. 

The hotel chain currently has a total portfolio of 49 properties with nearly 3,900 keys, including its development pipeline. Cygnett said that it is expecting to add at least 1,000 keys every year over the next five years. By 2029, it is looking to expand by over 100 hotels consisting of 9,000 keys. 

Sarbendra Sarkar, managing director of Cygnet Hotels & Resorts, said, “In the coming years, we are committed to expand strategically across destinations with high tourism appeal and strong business activity.”

Prayagraj Airport Operations Up 10 Times During Mahakumbh

The Prayagraj airport has been handling a significant influx of tourists during the ongoing Mahakumbh religious festival. Prior to the festival, it was operating 20 scheduled flights in and out of the airport in a day, carrying less than 1,000 passengers. 

However, on February 21, over 24,000 passengers arrived at and departed from the airport on 236 flights, according to a senior Airports Authority of India official. It is also operating an average of about 40 non-scheduled chartered flights and private jets for VIP visitors, and on weekends, there are 70 such flights. 

“We witnessed a sudden surge in air traffic, both scheduled and non-scheduled, since the holy dip on January 29. The graph went perpendicular and the rush was beyond our expectations. Airport operations have certainly got challenging since that point,” airport director Mukesh Chandra Upadhyay told news agency PTI. 

Radisson Signs Bhubaneswar’s First Global Brand Hotel

Radisson Hotel Group has signed Era Hotel Bhubaneswar, a member of Radisson Individuals in Odisha’s capital city of Bhubaneswar. This is the first international branded hotel in the city, it said in a statement. 

The property, expected to open later this year, aims to cater to demand from corporate, MICE sector, religious tourism and social events such as weddings.

Radisson currently has a portfolio of 199 operational and developing hotels across India.