Dubai: New Delhi-based no-frills carrier IndiGo, which recently placed the world's largest aircraft order, has received Indian government approval to launch operations to Dubai, Muscat and other international destinations after it completes five years of domestic operations in August.
The airline, which placed an order for 180 Airbus SAS A320 jets last week, won government approval for services to Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai and Muscat from several cities in India, it said in a statement on Wednesday.
Indigo will announce the schedule and starting dates for the flights in the coming months, according to the statement.
The routes may help the airline compete for market share against rivals including Malaysia-based AirAsia and Emirates Airline, the world's biggest carrier by international traffic.
A company statement said: "IndiGo is delighted to receive these important traffic rights and is grateful to the [Indian] Ministry of Civil Aviation for approving its application in a timely manner."
With its fleet of 34 new Airbus A-320 aircraft, the airline, which now has a market share of 18.6 per cent in India, offers 221 daily flights connecting 24 destinations.
The government's approval of international flights will "hasten the process of Indian carriers taking back some of the market share that has been lost over the past many decades to foreign carriers," Indigo said in the statement.
