A new chapter in travel- Sebastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor and Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo announce a strategic collaboration for loyalty programs ALL and BluChip that will bring a host of new benefits for members | File Photo
Mumbai: IndiGo will continue flying from Mumbai Airport’s Terminal 1 (T1) even though it plans to be one of the first airlines to start operations from the upcoming Navi Mumbai International Airport, said the airline’s chief executive officer Peter Elbers.
While the Indian aviation industry is closely eyeing upon the inauguration of Navi Mumbai International Airport, there is a lot of unclarity about the airlines shifting its domestic operations from Mumbai Airport’s T1 to the Navi Mumbai Airport. However, the top official of IndiGo said that they will not take away all the operations from T1 while also starting new routes from Navi Mumbai.
A new chapter in travel- Sebastien Bazin, Chairman & CEO, Accor and Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo announce a strategic collaboration for loyalty programs ALL and BluChip that will bring a host of new benefits for members | File Photo
“We are proud to be the first airline to land at Navi Mumbai and Noida’s Jewar airports for commercial flight validation tests and we will start flying from them as soon as they start operations. However, we will not take away all the operations from the existing airports and will serve at both the destinations, just like how we did with Goa’s new airport,” said Elbers.
The airline’s CEO also added that IndiGo is still awaiting clarity about shifting operations to Navi Mumbai Airport from the airport operator. All the airport stakeholders are actively looking at the consequences that they will face if the operations are completely shifted to Navi Mumbai, he added.
Peters made this statement at a press conference organised at Fairmont Mumbai on Wednesday to announce new partnerships with Accor Group, a multinational hospitality company. According to the new collaboration, IndiGo and Accor will offer unique travel and hospitality benefits to their loyalty program members.
Through this collaboration, IndiGo’s customers will be able to convert their BluChips to Accor Live Limitless (ALL) to book their stay at any Accor Hotels. Similarly, Accor’s customers will be able to convert their ALL points to BluChips and book redeem them while booking flights.
Peters also announced that IndiGo will commence operations for 10 new destinations by the next fiscal year along with new routes. While the airline is awaiting delivery of the A321XLR airplanes, it will be able to start flying to Europe, Australia and the Middle East. He believes that loyalty program collaboration will help the airline at these new international destinations.
Simultaneously, IndiGo’s parent company InterGlobe and Accor also announced that they will jointly invest in budget hotel platform Treebo and become its largest shareholder. Both companies also plan to build a hospitality powerhouse together expanding Accor’s presence in India with a target of 300 hotels by 2030.
Treebo, which manages 800 hotels across 120 cities through its unique tech-driven approach, will take the lead in developing the Ibis and Mercure brands in India through a master license agreement. It has reached an agreement with various property owners to sign ten new Mercure’s, marking a significant milestone in the brand’s expansion in India. The combined Accor and Treebo portfolio will create India’s third-largest hospitality player, with over 30,000 rooms.
Sébastien Bazin, chairman and CEO of Accor, said, “This landmark partnership marks a transformative moment for Accor and its brands in India. By aligning with our long-term successful and trusted partner InterGlobe and bringing together the best of hospitality, tech and entrepreneurship in India, we are unlocking unprecedented growth potential in one of the world’s most exciting travel markets”.
