DUBAI // A low-cost Indian airline will soon give passengers more travel options between the Emirates and the subcontinent.
The no-frills carrier IndiGo promises "significantly cheaper" daily travel between Dubai and New Delhi, and Dubai and Mumbai.
The flights between Dubai and New Delhi will begin in September and those connecting Mumbai a month later. Initial fares will be about Dh810.
"This is our first foray in the Middle East," Aditya Ghosh, the president of IndiGo, said yesterday in Dubai."For a lot of people who travel from this part to India, every dirham counts. People work very hard here and should not be paying exorbitant prices for a three-hour leg."
IndiGo is the second no-frills Indian airline and the fourth low-cost carrier between the two countries. Air India Express, flydubai and Air Arabia fly between the UAE and different Indian cities.
Customers, who will be allowed up to 30kg in luggage and up to 8kg in hand baggage, will pay for in-flight food.
Mr Ghosh called for more low-cost airlines between the Emirates and India.
"There should be always more choices," he said.
IndiGo officials did not rule out connecting other emirates, including Ras al Khaimah, with India in the future. Indian expatriates from RAK recently requested flights home from the emirate, rather than having to travel to Sharjah or Dubai.
"We would love to fly from Ras al Khaimah and Abu Dhabi," said Mr Ghosh, but he stressed that increasing operations between Dubai and other Indian cities was the five-year-old airline's priority.
The 42-plane airline, which calls itself India's youngest and second-largest, will also start operations to Trivandrum and Kochi in the south, and Kolkata in the east of India by the end of this year.
Officials assured customers that fares will remain cheap.
The carrier will also connect Muscat with the subcontinent from October.
Singapore and Bangkok are IndiGo's other international routes.
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