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IndiGo’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, has announced that the airline will not abandon Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1), despite plans to operate at the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport. Elbers stated that IndiGo will continue to operate at T1 and add new routes at the new airport, similar to how the airline expanded its operations at Goa’s new airport. The airline is eagerly awaiting the opening of Navi Mumbai and Noida’s Jewar airports for commercial flight validation tests.
Elbers made this announcement at a press conference where he unveiled a strategic collaboration between IndiGo and Accor, a multinational hospitality company. The partnership will allow members of IndiGo’s loyalty program, BluChips, to convert their points to Accor’s loyalty program, ALL, to book stays at Accor hotels, and vice versa. The partnership is aimed at offering unique travel and hospitality benefits to their loyalty program members.
Additionally, Indigo announced plans to start operations at 10 new destinations by the next fiscal year, including Europe, Australia, and the Middle East, once it receives deliveries of the A321XLR aircraft. The airline believes that this collaboration will help it grow at these new international destinations.
Accor’s parent companies, InterGlobe, and Accor, also announced a joint investment in budget hotel platform Treebo, which will become India’s largest shareholder. This partnership will create a hospitality powerhouse with a combined 30,000 rooms across 800 hotels in 120 cities. Accor plans to expand its presence in India to 300 hotels by 2030, with Treebo taking the lead in developing the Ibis and Mercure brands through a master license agreement.
Accor’s CEO, Sébastien Bazin, stated that this partnership is a “transformative moment” for Accor in India, unlocking unprecedented growth potential in the country’s growing travel market. He added that the collaboration brings together the best of hospitality, tech, and entrepreneurship in India and marks a significant milestone in the company’s expansion in the country.
Overall, the partnership between IndiGo and Accor will bring numerous benefits to their loyalty program members, including access to Accor’s vast network of hotels and a collaborative approach to growing the hospitality industry in India. The investment in Treebo and the joint partnership will create a major hospitality player in the country, with plans to expand its presence in the market in the coming years.