With ease of access and increasing interest in tourism, international travel is becoming nothing but easier by the day. While the excitement of travelling to another country may overpower the process of planning, keeping a few tips handy is essential.
From your documents to forex cards to travel insurance, consider these tips a checklist that helps you be well-prepared for a new country.

Keep your passports ready
Needless to say, this is the basic identity required to travel out of the country. As basic as it is, sometimes travellers tend not to pay attention to details like the validity of the passport. Check with the requirements of the country you are travelling to and make sure your passport holds valid during your travel. In case it is expiring any soon, you may want to fast track the renewal
process.

Check visa requirements
Before planning or booking for any international trip, go through the visa requirements in detail. You may be looking to visit a country where you do not need a visa, need a visa on arrival, an e-visa or a visa authorised by the embassy via a process of several documentations. Make sure you have a valid visa before making any bookings. Your flights and hotel bookings will not
always be fully refunded if you happen to book them before applying for the visa, in case it gets rejected. And last but not the least, if you don’t want the headache of doing visa related research, applying for the same etc. then plan your trip to one of the Countries where visa is not required for Indians.

Get a Forex travel card
It is given that all countries use different currencies and have different exchange rates as well. Thus, it’s best to get a forex travel card for easy transactions during your trip. Almost all variations of currencies are covered in travel cards these days, but make sure you have conveyed about your requirements before applying for one.

Plan your activities
There could be several activities available at the place you are travelling to. Depending on the weather you are travelling during, see what all activities you can avail. Check for whatever can be pre-booked; others can be availed on the spot.

Buy an International travel insurance
Please do! This will keep your health, losses etc covered when you have nothing to rely upon. An International travel insurance is something most travellers tend to ignore buying before flying overseas. But this is the most essential part of planning an international trip. There are multiple types of plans that define what all can be covered during your travels, so pick the plan
that suits you best.

Corporate businessman packing his bag and planning a business trip, he is booking flights online using a digital tablet, travel and technology concept

Check for baggage restrictions
Many airlines apply restrictions on the baggage you can carry along. It is best to take note of the luggage limit and do not exceed, because it will either cost you money or you may need to leave some of your belongings. At times the number of bags and the dimensions are also specified, do not miss out these details.
Make copies of your IDs, reservations etc
In a new country, all you got as an identity is your passport. Keep it safe and make print as well as digital copies of the same. This applies to your flight and hotel reservations too. If you have an international driver’s license, carry it along, for that too is a recognised identity card.

Pack smart and have fun!
Pack according to the weather, planned activities and topography of your destination. Starting from your clothes, shoes, sunglasses, hats, sunscreens and travel pouches, keep your luggage smart and light. Avoiding heavy luggage is a key to having fun during your trip.

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The Swedish Transport Agency recently granted the Swedish auto giant permission to begin real-world testing of its self-driving cars, boosting the company’s chances of meeting its stated goal of bringing the technology to market by 2021.

The self-driving cars will be allowed on motorways and streets in the Gothenburg area. The cars will not be allowed to exceed 60 kilometres per hour when the self-driving features are activated and drivers are required to keep at least one hand on the wheel at all times. Operators of the autonomous vehicles must also undergo training provided by Volvo.

Earlier this month, the Swedish company unveiled the futuristic concept car Volvo 360c, a fully autonomous, electric vehicle with no steering wheel that has been described as “a bedroom on wheels”, by a recent article on Verge.

The company will explore how autonomous vehicles can be used to shuttle people between cities, allowing them more time for rest, work and play instead of the hassle of flying. Air travel routes of around 300 kilometers (186 miles) are “prime candidates for disruption,” the company said. Such routes actually become more time-consuming by air than by car once you factor in travelling to and from the airport, going through security and boarding procedures. So, it would make sense to travel in a self-driven car that allows you to enjoy work and play, with premium comfort so that you wake up refreshed at your destination.

“The business will change in the coming years and Volvo should lead that change of our industry,” company president and CEO Håkan Samuelsson said in a press release announcing the 360c. “Autonomous drive will allow us to take the big next step in safety but also open up exciting new business models and allow consumers to spend time in the car doing what they want to do.”

Volvo concludes that the 360c is a mere starter for a conversation about the doors that autonomous driving might open up in the future. The company intends to advance that conversation as technology and infrastructure continue to evolve.

While this is definitely a great conversation starter, we can’t be sure if autonomous cars can actually completely replace flights. Moreover, with the advent of hyperloop and flying cars, the competition is quite tough. What would you choose?

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The country’s first ever partially biojet fuel-powered aircraft took off from Dehradun, Uttarakhand, on August 27, and landed successfully in New Delhi. The 72-seater Bombardier Q400 belonged to SpiceJet, India’s fourth-largest airline by market share, and used a blend of 75% aviation turbine fuel (ATF).

“It (biojet fuel) has the potential to reduce our dependence on traditional aviation fuel by up to 50% on every flight,” Ajay Singh, chairman and managing director of SpiceJet, said in a press release.

The biofuel used by SpiceJet to mark this momentous flight was developed by the Indian Institute of Petroleum, Dehradun, from the seed of the jatropha crop. It meets the specification of aircraft engine makers Pratt & Whitney and Bombardier, SpiceJet said, and can potentially reduce the airline’s carbon footprint by 15%.

Image source: Conde Nast Traveller

This is not the first time an airline has experimented with biofuel. In 2011, Alaska Airlines operated 75 selected flights on a cooking oil blend, while Dutch airline KLM flew weekly biofuel flights between New York and Amsterdam for six months in 2013.

India is expected to become the world’s third-biggest aviation market by 2025 on the back of a domestic-travel boom. That is now leading to fierce competition and a bruising fare war, that is hurting profits of airlines.

Most airlines in India are under pressure from a depreciating rupee and surging fuel prices. Besides, domestic carriers are mostly pursuing volume over profitability. With airlines flying so many flights, fuel demand has surged. In the April-June quarter, some of the biggest players incurred massive losses. While net profits of IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, spiraled down 97% year-on-year to Rs 28 crore ($4 million), Spicejet reported a loss of Rs 38.06 crore. Jet Airways’ losses stood at Rs 1,323 crore with its fuel expenses rising 35%.

It is interesting to note that back in 2013-14, SpiceJet’s rival, IndiGo, had toyed with the idea of using biofuel to power some of its fleet, before deciding to shelve the plan. Back then Indigo considered biofuel to be a cheaper alternative to ATF idf oil prices continued to rise. But at that time it was cheaper and more convenient for them to import jet fuel from Singapore, leading to the plan being shelved.

According to IATA, aviation industry contributes to 2% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the world which will rise as the aviation industry is expanding. IATA has set a target for one billion passengers to fly on aircraft using a mix of clean energy and fossil fuels by 2025.
IATA has set targets to mitigate carbon emissions from air transport — an average improvement in fuel efficiency of 1.5% per year from 2009 to 2020, a cap on net aviation carbon emissions from 2020 (carbon-neutral growth) and a reduction in net aviation carbon emissions of 50% by 2050, relative to 2005 levels. With the introduction of biofuel to its fleet, SpiceJet says it hopes to be much ahead of these targets.

The move is a good start to address concerns around the poor health of the aviation sector. Under these circumstances, Bio jet fuel has the potential to halve the fuel cost of every flight and bring down fares. Nitin Gadkari also said that a cabinet note would soon be moved to come out with a special policy on the use of biofuel in the aviation sector. With a strong government policy in place and efforts from airlines like SpiceJet to experiment, biofuel will hopefully usher in a new era of reducing dependence on oil in a highly price-sensitive industry.

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Technology continues to innovate how travellers are preparing for and enjoying their journeys, or how hotels are adapting to their guests’ changing preferences. So far, there has been much hype around travel disruptors such as Airbnb and Uber. However, the continual foray of tech giants into the travel space is what should be grabbing our attention right now.

Competition is actually coming in now from big technology players. The huge growth potential in the online travel space, particularly in Asia-Pacific, is attracting their attention.

Take the case of Google and Alibaba, who are already very much in the travel space. Combine the search engine giant’s complex algorithm with its products like Google Flights, Google Hotel Finder and Google Trips, and you will see how the company is slowly and steadily climbing up the trip-planning funnel. In the $2.3 trillion contributed to the global economy by travel and tourism, Google already has a large share of the pie. The company has been developing travel tools in the last four years, and is even starting to make them official. For instance, Google Flights came out way back in 2011, but they re-designed and launched the tool only in 2015, replete with exciting new features. The company has now made it easier for users to check out important hotel details such as rates, locations and reviews. Google users can also book some hotels directly while searching for particular properties. Moreover, when a user types in a query for a particular destination, Google also displays a list at the top of the page that provides travellers information about popular sightseeing locations.

Image source: Gravity Flow

Alibaba’s Fliggy is not far behind. The company recently announced a joint venture partnership with Marriott International to redefine the travel experience for the hundreds of millions of Chinese consumers traveling abroad and domestically every year. The joint venture will leverage Marriott International’s global portfolio of brands and unparalleled hospitality expertise to revolutionize the travel experience as well as Alibaba’s digital retail leadership and its role as a gateway for international brands to reach over 500 million mobile monthly active users across its platforms. Drawing on resources from both Marriott and Alibaba, the joint venture will manage Marriott’s storefront on Fliggy, Alibaba’s travel service platform. It will also market directly to Alibaba’s customer base, provide a link between Marriott’s loyalty programs and Alibaba’s loyalty program, and support Marriott hotels globally with content, programs and promotions customized for the Chinese traveller.

We can also see non-traditional travel actors in payments space or general online retailing, like the Amazons of the world, developing the travel component. Closer home, Paytm is an example. On the back of raising $1.4 billion from SoftBank, Paytm is making aggressive moves to challenge existing players in verticals like travel and hotels with the help of deep discounts.

And we will keep seeing many others in the space, too. Travel is a very interesting space for many of them as it is accessible for anyone who has online retailing experience. There is definitely a good basis to build a travel marketplace then. Moreover, considering that companies like Apple and Google already own 90 per cent of the mobile ecosystem, it allows these tech giants to easily capture travel data and get insights on what they’re looking for. Plus, the tech companies are heavily leveraging machine learning and artificial intelligence to draw insights from that data in real time to create optimized results.

Calling attention to the areas that are broken in the current systems is precisely what tech companies are now doing. This, however, does not spell doom for the traditional players. In fact, with tech giants attacking weaknesses, it gives the industry an opportunity to wake up and think about change, thus making them more open to the adoption of new technology. And that is always going to be a win-win for everyone.

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Technology has continuously been transforming the travel industry, but one constant remains – the hotel front desk. Step into any hotel, of any range, and you will end up finding the typical counter with people smiling and greeting you.

There are exceptions to this of course – the hotels who have bid farewell to the faithful infrastructure in exchange for handheld or fixed devices and kiosks. We are in an era where travellers cannot have a seamless experience with the hotel without the aid of technology. With technology evolving and guests gaining access to several social media platforms, it has become imperative for hotels to have a positive online presence, a brand recognition and provide a smooth stay experience. IoT is termed as a defining force in travel and IoT solutions are offering interesting set of possibilities for hotels by offering better data about the guests. From enabling front desk to serve customers quickly to skipping it altogether, the solution allows hoteliers to add the technologies as extensions to their existing app. Many consumers want to interact with hotels flexibly, whether by texting to request an early check-in or by unlocking their guest room with keyless entry powered by a mobile app. Moreover, there is an age-old desire to cut labor costs through automation.

However, at most places, the front desk has defied most of these technological trends and persisted. How did that happen?

There has been a growing skepticism for technology that has many implications for travel. In the past couple of months, social media platforms have been facing intense backlash from consumers, media, and regulators for having abused their trust. By treating a traveller this way – ‘using’ them only for data and attributes – hoteliers stand to face a similar backlash for exploiting customers for the purpose of upselling. The front desk is one place where this can be taken care of.

People don’t want to be treated like gadgets anymore. When travellers show up at a hotel after a long flight, the last thing they would want is to interact with another piece of technology. This goes especially true for business travellers, for whom travel can be a particularly dehumanizing experience. Chances are that the only human interaction they have all day is the front desk colleague who warmly welcomes them. Isn’t that the point of staying at a great hotel – to be taken care of?

A front desk is like the heart of a hotel. The travel industry needs to rethink its pursuit of digital services as only a proxy to human experience, and not simply replace it. A vast majority of today’s travellers still reject fully automated check-in. Case in point, long queues at airport counters. People don’t usually walk up to kiosks unless escorted by a human.

This is not to say that we should not pursue automation and all things digital. Many guests already do prefer it. However, let’s wait for a point at which time more guests will prefer to check-in via mobile than in person, before completely giving up on the front desk. In fact, rather than replacing the front desk completely, it should be re-invented as a tool to build brand image, especially online. When people check out reviews at TripAdvisor, it is easy to see that what people review is service by humans. If hotels completely eliminate the front desk experience, all hotel brands will eventually become a commodity, and then, why would we need a brand at all?

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More and more hotels are coming to terms with the fact that increasing the value of their brand is directly proportional to achieving in-depth customer service with properly harnessed customer insight. This has necessitated the rise of hotels where customers are not only lured with interiors, but also with very real, AI robot concierge services.

Just a few days back, Amazon announced a new program designed to help hotels deploy Alexa’s voice-enabled smarts across their properties. The Alexa for Hospitality program will “help increase guest access to amenities” and “improve employee productivity,” according to a press release.This is more than simply putting an Echo on your bedside table to replicate the tasks performed by the Echo in your living room at home. The idea here is that guests will be able to ask Alexa for specific information, such as pool hours, as well as ordering room service or asking the concierge for dinner recommendations using just their voice.

Through Alexa for Hospitality, hotels can configure Alexa so that guests are able to control their various connected in-room gadgets, such as thermostats, TVs, and lights, as they would at home. According to Amazon, guests will soon be able to connect their own Amazon account to the Alexa-powered device in their room so they can access their music and audiobooks. This integration will be temporary, with the connection automatically cut once a guest checks out.

The first results of Amazon’s new hospitality program will kick off this summer at a number of Marriott International hotels, according to Amazon, though the company is opening invitations to all hospitality companies.

After decades of spending on technology to enhance staff abilities, hotels are finally looking up to the commercialization of advanced tech such as AI, so that hotel guests can enjoy value for money in terms of efficiency and luxury. This is not a replacement for humans, but is much wider and pervasive. Technology like Alexa can create more trust, and in the process also transform hotel processes, services and facilities.

Today, the hotel industry thrives on and rapidly adopts technological advancements that provide utmost customer satisfaction. Having an intelligent Alexa hotel is ‘the’ strategy that modern hotels need to surpass customer expectations. How? There are certain essential elements of Alexa that will make hotels intelligent, including digital assistance, voice-activated services and travel experience enhancers. From the customer’s personal choices to their tiniest of needs, this will help hotels offer carefully-planned assistance.

Travellers today love absolute control and flexibility in their travel experiences. A dedicated technology like Alexa that empowers customers’ stay, giving them the luxury to unlock their room, adjust room temperature, operate curtains, or even order food and drinks, is a sure win-win. Additionally, the Alexa Skill Set, a collection of self-service APIs, tools, documentation, and code samples that makes it fast and easy for you to add skills to Alexa, will also help hotels with customization to deliver a unique experience. This will provide a differentiated experience by building a skill that lets guests naturally access property information, services, and amenities. We have anyway managed to become comfortable with voice assistants on-the-go, as well as at home. Alexa will simply help hotels recreate the same experiences and comfort.

The more you know your customer, the more better positioned it makes you to surpass their expectations and cater to every need. While hotels have already started making the pre-journey process(bookings) seamless, it is time to take a step further and assign AI the work of a dedicated chaperon, who will also make the stay more familiar and comfortable. Amazon’s Alexa is the breakthrough all hotel systems have been waiting for.

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Indians are now numero uno when it comes to being tech-savvy when travelling overseas. According to Expedia’s ‘2018 Global Flight and Hotel Etiquette’ survey, Indians are most likely to pay for in-flight Wi-Fi. The survey was conducted among 18,229 respondents from 23 countries, including the US and countries in Europe, South America and Asia Pacific, as per details shared with The Economic Times.

Indians may have just given the go-ahead for airlines to provide in-flight mobile connectivity, but they are clearly already ahead of the pack when it comes to tech in travel. Indians also ranked No.1 in engaging with airlines over social media about their travel experiences while at the airport, at the gate or on the plane (34%), listening to music or podcasts (72%) and No.2 for playing video games in flight (37%). Additionally, Indians are increasingly shifting to technology for services, such as online check-ins. As much as 67% Indians check in online (No.7 globally) while on mobile check-in, they are ranked No.1 at 18%. The country stood at the second spot, behind Thailand, for the number of people using the boarding pass on a mobile device (29%). Indians were ranked No.2 two for recording bad airline experiences on their smartphone cameras.

Image source: Web In Travel

Much of this increase can be attributed to the decrease in hardware costs, and the resulting increase in mobile penetration across the country. Hot on heels of family and friend recommendations for travel planning comes travel-specific information on the Internet. In India, online information plays a significant role in both the “dreaming” and “planning” stages of the traveller’s path to purchase.

According to an Amadeus report, 17% of Indian leisure travellers used their smartphones for travel arrangements, while no less than 42% of Indian business travellers did so. This trend is not confined to the young. Some 7-8% of Indians over 65 used smartphones to make travel bookings!

So, what should be the game plan to engage these travellers? The obvious one is to make sure you are both digitally ready and well connected to the travel trade. It is also important that your content is mobile friendly. Indian travellers are comfortable with browsing on the Internet and with receiving and responding to mobile ads. Another important thing to note is to keep these ads either very simple or make it extremely engaging, or even both. The timing for placing these ads is also very crucial. Commute times in India are often long, so placing ads in front of people at commute times can be a good approach.

Like most people globally, Indians also judge brands by the speed with which their sites download. So make sure you know that your content can reach them quickly. This is true everywhere. However, in a country of one billion people, where most of your key users are in crowded locations, it becomes even more important. Similarly, make sure your users can find their way back to where they were when they found you. Never take them away from their starting point.

It’s a fascinating era to travel in, and as new technologies become commonplace in travel tech, they present a great opportunity for OTAs, airlines, hotels and other travel brands to ride this tide and engage more efficiently with their growing base of Indian customers.

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Our airports and skies are choked. From 131 million in 2016, the total passenger traffic at airports is forecast to reach 378 million by 2026. Around 25 of the 126 airports operated by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) have reached saturation point, which means India needs to expand its airport capacity dramatically over the next decade.

To deal with a projected 55% rise in passengers, the Indian government has planned to nearly triple its spend on upgrading airport infrastructure till 2022, compared with that of the previous four-year period, according to a report by Quartz, quoting a senior official of AAI. Between 2013 and 2017, the body has already spent Rs 6,300 crore in all on infrastructure, according to its annual report for financial year 2017. The government has been working hard towards collaborating with the private sector, and has also managed to deliver positive results in some places. After the four major airports of Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru and Hyderabad were transitioned to the PPP model, they have started gaining immense global recognition for their quality standards.

However, this transition has not been able to keep up pace with the growing passenger capacity, or take care of pressing issues that plague the sector. Nearly 422 air safety violations were detected in 2016, compared to 275 in 2015, highlighting the need to improve safety infrastructure. News headlines of airlines avoiding mid-air collisions have become all too common. Contentious matters such as Air India’s disinvestment and the rising trend of jet fuel prices, are having detrimental effects on the growth of the sector.

Image source: Reddiff.com

The shortage of infrastructural facilities and manpower in tier-II cities is also likely to affect the government’s ambitious UDAN scheme for better regional connectivity. As the runways in these cities are shorter, aircrafts will have to cut down in size, which also require specially trained pilots. A massive shortage of Indian commanders is already forcing airlines to recruit pilots from overseas at a higher cost. If the scenario continues, the possibility of meeting burgeoning demand seems bleak.

The government now needs to come up with innovative models to attract more private players, handing over the operations, maintenance and management responsibilities to them. The private sector is better equipped to deliver latest technologies and generate revenues from sources other than airfare, even while maintaining minimum operational standards. In tier-II and tier-III cities, a different strategy for airport management should be deployed to make the UDAN project viable. The issue of clearing pilot licenses quickly is another area that needs to be looked at in order to match up to the demand for more and more pilots.

A recent deal by the AAI seems to be signaling a step in the right direction, with the body inking a 15-year contract for INR 945 crore with Harris Corporation to address the safety and efficiency concerns that lack air navigational infrastructure in India. As part of the deal, Harris Corporation will serve as the prime contractor and systems integrator for the programme, which is to be implemented over a period of two years. The new system will also play a key role in deployment of remote towers for managing air traffic services at RCS (Regional Connectivity Scheme) airports. In the long run, implementation of Futuristic Telecommunications Infrastructure (FTI) network would result in enhanced air traffic safety, increase in airspace capacity by allowing the controllers to reduce the separation limits and accommodating the aircraft to more economical and environment-friendly flight levels, thus reducing the overall carbon footprint.

India’s exponential air traffic growth will keep creating demand for newer aircraft, air navigation technologies, airport security equipment and infrastructure. An overhaul of infrastructural management is the only answer to meet the demands of rapid aviation growth.

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The Meeting Incentive Conference and Exhibition industry, better known as MICE tourism, has rapidly become one of the fastest growing segments within the tourism industry. According to a new report published by Allied Market Research, titled, “MICE Industry by Event Type: Global Opportunity Analysis and Industry Forecast, 2017-2023” , the global MICE industry was valued at $752 billion in 2016, and is projected to reach $1,245 billion in 2023, registering a CAGR of 7.5% from 2017 to 2023.

According to an Economic Times report, industry experts and analysts attribute increasing MICE events, including investor summits, to an improved economic sentiment amidst growing competition among states to score better ratings in ease of doing business and attract investments. These have directly boosted average room occupancies and returns. For example, Hyderabad International Convention Centre (HICC), India’s largest convention centre managed by AccorHotels, had hosted more than 800 events in 2016, averaging more than 2 parallel events daily, highest in a decade.

This highly competitive sector is known for high-end events, generates significant revenues and has clients that are always on the look-out for a venue to serenade its guest list. Many big players in the hospitality industry, especially hoteliers, are stepping up their MICE game to make the most of this trend.

As a hotelier, how can you increase your MICE sector bookings?

1. Focus on diversity – MICE events can be both big or small. Your hotel may be able to hold large dinners, exhibitions, conferences, and annual summits, but that doesn’t have to mean that you let go off other meetings and regular events that take place quarterly or even monthly. This way you can be assured of guaranteed room sales and revenue, and better manage your hotel’s finances.

2. Plan your marketing strategy well in advance – The MICE market needs to be marketed effectively for it to be effective. Think through your customer experience from the beginning till the end. Pore over details regarding your brand image, your facilities and services, and even the commute to your venue. To be successful in attracting events, you must actively come up with a strategy that highlights all these features and targets the right audience through strong branding, social presence and state-of-the-art facilities.

3. Customize your activities – There is a rising demand for alternative options for team building exercises and incentive programmes, such as horse-riding lessons or even cooking classes. For instance, the African wineland of Paarl has stepped up its game as an attractive MICE destination by not only offering great spaces to host events, but also organizing activities like wine-tasting, to keep guests thoroughly engaged. By offering unique experiences for corporate events, your hotel can cater for clients in a way that other exhibition centres can’t compete with, thus building a strong case for differentiation.

4. Create a seamless experience through technology – With technology playing such an important role in the online booking process, it is vital for your hotel to make it easy for clients to reserve rooms and make other arrangements. Make sure your hotel has a great booking engine that is seamlessly integrated to your website. Respond to any query as soon as possible. Optimize your website to provide the best details about the event destination and your hotel, including blogs and other insider tips, in order to help the event planners with their decision-making.

What are some of the other ways that you can think of?

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India’s biggest and most profitable airline carrier and the world’s fourth-largest low cost airline has seen a rough couple of months.

It all started with the airline’s surprise declaration of its interest in ailing national carrier Air India (AI) last year, even before the full details of AI disinvestment had emerged. One of the promoters, Rakesh Gangwal, had to hold a hasty conference call with analysts to clarify that “IndiGo’s interest in AI would be conditional and that it would in no way jeopardise the airline’s financial plans”, an indication that perhaps the first announcement wasn’t thought-through. Subsequently, the airline said that it was not interested in Air India.

This was followed by some back-to-back videos emerging of staff misbehaviour, then a report by a Parliamentary panel that pulled up the airline for its service standards, especially regarding the many reports of passenger manhandling and rude behaviour. Remember the viral video that showed the airline’s staff allegedly manhandling a passenger?

Next came the Pratt & Whitney engine troubles, that led to grounding of multiple aircraft, consequent cancellation of flights, leaving passengers and investors irate. The airline also lost out a long-fought battle with the judiciary, after the Supreme Court dismissed plea by IndiGo against an order by Delhi High Court that directed it to shift to T2 terminal of Indira Gandhi International Airport. Amidst all this, the announcement of Aditya Ghosh, President and Director, resigning from his position came along. More recently, IndiGo passengers at the Delhi airport staged a protest near the active runway, due to a five-hour delay, followed by alleged “mismanagement” on behalf of the airline.

Image source: Airlines Inform

A myriad changes are happening at the company to restore its former glory. The primary one is believed to be the resignation of Aditya Ghosh. The stock markets also seem to have supported the decision, as on the first day of trading after news of his imminent departure surfaced, the IndiGo scrip gained in morning trade and finished 0.50 percent lower. United Airlines’ Gregory Taylor is set to succeed as president and CEO. Willy Boulter has already been inducted as Chief Strategy Officer, while Wolfgang Prock-Shauer, who steered Jet Airways and GoAir earlier, was appointed COO. Additionally, many crucial functions have also been assigned to senior expat hires.

While the hasty announcement to bid for Air India may not have been well planned, it does underpin the fact that IndiGo is now looking to expand massively. According to multiple reports, IndiGo plans to order as many as 50 Airbus SE A330 wide-body jets as it seeks to expand beyond short-haul flights. The carrier aims to take the upgraded A330neo version of the plane, and the deal could be worth $13 billion at list prices for the smaller of two variants.
The airline is basically developing plans for long-haul flights after building up a fleet of more than 150 Airbus A320 narrow-body planes used within the region.

Even last year, IndiGo set up an ambitious plan for growth, saying that it will position itself as a price warrior in the regional connectivity business, which it will launch soon, apart from its foray into the long-haul, low-cost international business. According to sources, IndiGo could offer fares up to 50 per cent lower on regional connectivity routes.

The persistent efforts by the airline to change its fundamentals can also be seen in its recent announcement of quarterly results. While the carrier posted a 73 per cent decline in profit at Rs 117.96 crore in the three months ended March 2018 owing to rising fuel expenses, it also posted its highest ever Profit After Tax of Rs 2,242 crore for the year ended March 2018, an increase of 35.1 per cent compared to last year’s Rs 1,656.98 crore.

As far as reports of rude behaviour are concerned, IndiGo may not have handled things in the best possible way so far, but there is still hope that with the change of management, that aspect would be taken care of, too.

As IndiGo navigates across turbulent news and mishaps, what the focus needs to shift to right now is how the change of management and aggressive expansion will help the country’s largest airline fly through these challenges. Perhaps the lineup of monumental changes and plans will manage to steer it towards growth. Till then, we can only wait and hope the carrier doesn’t get burnt by more bad press.

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