IndiGo jostles with US-based Delta for most valuable airline tag

New Delhi: India’s biggest airline, IndiGo, overtook US-based Delta Airlines to become the world’s most valuable airline with a market capitalisation of $23.24 billion for a brief period, according to Bloomberg data.

IndiGo’s share price soared to a peak of Rs 5,265 during the day on Wednesday, taking the airline’s market cap past Delta’s $23.18 billion. The lead was short-lived, and by market close, IndiGo’s valuation slipped to $23.16 billion to end up in the second spot, a wee bit below Delta’s.

On Thursday morning, IndiGo shares were trading at Rs 5149.9 on National Stock Exchange. Shares of IndiGo have gained around 13 per cent so far this year, even as the broader Indian market suffered a slump due to external uncertainties.

IndiGo is currently the market leader in India with a 62 per cent share of the market pie.

IndiGo Airlines has also emerged as the world’s second fastest growing airline in terms of seat capacity, which increased by 10.1 per cent year-on-year to over 134.9 million seats in 2024. India’s largest airline has been ranked next only to Qatar Airways, which clocked a 10.4 per cent growth in seat capacity over the previous year, according to the latest data from Official Airline Guide (OAG).

IndiGo has also been ranked as the fastest-growing airline in the world in terms of flight frequency growth at 9.7 per cent year-on-year in 2024. The airline recorded a flight frequency of 749,156 for the year, the figures show.

OAG has also recorded that IndiGo holds one of the world’s largest aircraft orders, with over 900 aircraft on order, and was the largest recipient of 58 new Airbus aircraft during 2024. However, it also states that the airline does have a large proportion (approx. 80 aircraft) inactive with MRO-related supply chain issues.

While 88 per cent of IndiGo’s capacity is allocated to domestic markets, international growth is a key part of the airline’s strategy, with expansion during 2024 focused on regional Middle East markets and Thailand.

Long-term ambition for IndiGo includes the development of long-haul low-cost services – the airline is apparently considering bringing forward launch plans with wet lease aircraft identified for 2025.

IndiGo reported a net profit of Rs 2,449 crore in the Oct-Dec quarter of the current financial year ending on March 31, 2025. This represented an 18 per cent decline over the corresponding figure for the previous financial year. However, the airline’s revenue from operations increased 14 per cent to Rs 22,111 crore during the quarter.

IndiGo’s total income for the quarter was Rs 22,992.8 crore, which was a 14.6 per cent increase from the same period in the previous year.

The airline’s total expenses for the quarter were Rs 20,465.7 crore, which was a 19.9 per cent increase from the previous year.

The airline’s Earnings Before Interest, Tax, Depreciation and Amortisation (EBITDA) rose 0.7 per cent year-on-year to Rs 5,178.6 crore.

IndiGo’s load factor for the quarter stood at 86.9 per cent, which was higher than the 85.8 per cent in the same period in the previous year.

IANS