IndiGo to operate Boeing 777 aircraft on Delhi-Istanbul route from Feb 1

IndiGo on Tuesday said it will start operating wide-body Boeing 777 on Delhi-Istanbul route from February 1.

IndiGo so far has been operating only narrow-body all-economy airbus planes.This is for the first time in its over 16 years of operations that the Gurugram-headquartered airline will have twin-aisle planes in its fleet.

The Boeing 777 aircraft has a seating capacity of 400 passengers in a dual class configuration -- economy and business, the airline said in a statement.

The wide-body operations will help the airline cater to the increasing air travel demand between India and Turkey, it said.

The customers will now be able to pre-book meals and purchase alcohol for in-flight consumption, the airline said.

According to IndiGo, Turkey has emerged as one of the most popular tourist destinations post pandemic and has been one of the top choices for outbound tourism from India in 2022.

"We are inducting Boeing 777 aircraft to operate on one the most popular international routes Delhi-Istanbul-Delhi. The introduction of wide-body aircraft will not only increase capacity to Istanbul, but also to Europe through code share flights with Turkish Airlines," Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo, said.

Code sharing allows an airline to book its passengers on its partner carriers and provide seamless transport to destinations where it has no presence.