News

Volume 8 Issue 6 - March 15, 2011

Accessible passenger ramps: Innovation of IndiGo Airlines

D.N.I.S. News Network, India: IndiGo Airlines’ success story has a lot of lessons for those interested in strategy.

Other than brand new A-320 jets from Airbus, a partnership like commitment from the company on maintenance, high investment in the training of its staff, and superior planning to match or even exceed the on-time performance record of its competitors, IndiGo also pushed best practices even when there was no compelling reason to do so.

Till now, most airlines in India, including top notch ones like Kingfisher and Jet continue to carry disabled passengers up the staircase to the aeroplane. Ground crew, with no training whatsoever, perform this task with a great risk as well as embarrassment to the disabled passengers. However, IndiGo reinvented the basics and brought in accessible passenger ramps from day one! All their buses, which ferry passengers between the airport terminal and the aircraft, are also low floor and disabled-friendly.

After only five years of operations, IndiGo has rocketed up the ladder to the No. 2 position in India by market share. Centre for Asia Pacific Aviation suggests that it is “one of the hottest” airlines to watch in 2011.