NEW DELHI: Indigo is ready to resume flights between India and China if both the governments permit it through bilateral pacts, said its CEO Pieter Elbers.
Meanwhile, Air India said it had no immediate plans to fly to the neighbouring country.
Indigo released a statement attributed to Elbers which said, “IndiGo operated daily flights between India and China prior to the Covid-19 pandemic. The airline stands ready to resume these services as soon as the bilateral arrangements between the two countries allow. Guided by its entrepreneurial spirit, IndiGo remains committed to identifying and pursuing commercially viable opportunities.”
On the sidelines of an event organised in the City on Wednesday, Elbers had told mediapersons that if the bilateral arrangements between the two countries would enable operation of the flights, then Indigo would go ahead with it.
“Indigo was operating there prior to COVID and is known for its entrepreneurial spirit. If the governments were to come to an arrangement, then air travel would resume. Clearly Indigo would be ready for it.”
Indigo would begin flying to Athens from India early next year, he added. It would also fly to Copenhagen and London Heathrow in the winter, he added.
Contradicting reports that the Aviation Ministry had asked Air India to be ready along with IndiGo to operate flights next month to China, an Air India source told, “The Government has not conveyed anything to us in connection with flight operations to China. As of now, we are not having any immediate plans to fly to China in the near future.”