Air France-KLM Eyes Capacity Growth, Codeshare Routes With IndiGo In Booming Indian Aviation Industry

Air France-KLM, a major European airline, is eager to grow capacity, codeshare routes with IndiGo, and route capacity in the "booming" Indian aviation industry, according to senior officials.

With up to 46 flights per week connecting four Indian cities-Delhi, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Chennai-Air France-KLM has grown its seat capacity by 22% since 2022. Additionally, it has a codeshare arrangement covering more than 30 locations with IndiGo, the top airline in the nation.

"We want to increase capacity, routes... We would like to expand with IndiGo... the ambition is to do more international (flights)," Claude Sarre, General Manager - India subcontinent at Air France-KLM, told PTI. Plans are under discussion in this regard, he added.

An airline can offer smooth travel to locations where it has no presence by using codesharing to book its passengers on partner airlines. India is one of the aviation markets with the fastest growth rates in the world, and Air France KLM Group reported one million passengers travelling on Indian routes in 2022. According to Sarre, the "aviation industry is booming in India" as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and the rising demand for air travel.

The 'premium comfort class' was made available earlier this week by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines on flights between several Indian cities and Amsterdam. According to Christiaan van de Kopple, Commercial Director for Air France-KLM in the India subcontinent, customers are becoming more and more demanding of quality and are willing to pay more for it.

"A 22 per cent increase in seat capacity (compared to 2022) in India routes also shows that India is very much a focus market for Air France KLM... we are flexible in using our aircraft and utilisation on India routes," he said.
They engaged PTI virtually and exchanged opinions. Speaking on the Indian aviation business, Sarre praised DigiYatra as a commendable initiative and stressed the importance of promoting and producing Sustainable Aviation Fuel (SAF).
A significant actor in global air travel is Air France-KLM. According to the group's website, Air France, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, and Transavia fly to approximately 300 destinations as part of its global network.