IndiGo Celebrates 18th Anniversary with New Growth Initiatives

IndiGo Celebrates 18th Anniversary with New Growth Initiatives

By Author

Published on August 11, 2024

IndiGo, India's largest airline and one of the biggest globally, recently marked its 18th anniversary with a series of announcements signaling the next phase of its growth. The celebration, held at the Bharat Mandapam in New Delhi, was attended by key figures from the travel industry, partners, investors, and the airline’s leadership.

Over the past 18 years, IndiGo has transformed air travel in India by connecting 88 domestic destinations with over 400 routes, making air travel accessible to millions, including first-time flyers. Internationally, the airline has expanded its reach to 33 cities across more than 100 routes.

As part of its growth strategy, IndiGo has placed a record order for 500 new aircraft, including the Airbus A321-XLRs expected to enter service in 2025 and the widebody A350-900s scheduled for delivery in 2027. This expansion plan aims to double the airline's scale by the end of the decade.

To enhance customer experience, IndiGo introduced several new initiatives. The airline launched 'IndiGoStretch,' a new business class service available on 12 metro-to-metro routes, starting with the Delhi-Mumbai sector. This service features premium seating and other amenities aimed at attracting business travelers.

IndiGo also unveiled its much-anticipated loyalty program, 'IndiGo BluChip.' This program is designed to reward frequent flyers with benefits based on their spending, including real-time tier upgrades and lifetime validity for active members. The full program is set to launch in September 2024, with early registration opening immediately.

Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, reflected on the airline’s journey, stating, "On our 18th anniversary, it’s time to reflect on the wonderful and incredible IndiGo journey of giving wings to the nation. I would like to deeply thank the 600 million customers since inception that choose to fly IndiGo and all my colleagues who work so relentlessly and professionally serving our customers. Together we are building the IndiGo growth story realizing India by IndiGo.

As India’s leading carrier, we are constantly looking at ways of improving our service offering for our millions of our customers. With India’s soaring economy and the evolving aspirations of the Indian society, it’s time for us to redefine air travel once again and provide our evolving customers more benefits as they travel the world on us.

I am pleased to announce a new era of our IndiGo journey with the launch of IndiGoStretch – a tailor- made business product; and IndiGo BluChip – our much-awaited loyalty program. In addition, we have also launched a completely refreshed website and app with several features to make our customers experience more hassle-free. We are excited with this new era of IndiGo’s journey as we will continue to deliver on our core promises of being on-time, offering affordable fares, and delivering a courteous and hassle-free travel experiences across our unparalleled network."

In addition to these offerings, IndiGo has revamped its website and mobile app to provide a more user-friendly experience, further enhancing its service for customers.

Image Credit: IndiGo Press Note


Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Reports Rs 13 Crore Net Profit in Q1 FY26

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Reports Rs 13 Crore Net Profit in Q1 FY26

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on August 18, 2025

Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels Limited (ASPHL) announced its financial results for Q1 FY26, recording a net profit of Rs 13 crore. Revenue from operations stood at Rs 154 crore, a 14% increase year-on-year, while operating EBITDA grew 16% YoY to Rs 45 crore. The company maintained an industry-leading occupancy of 92%, reaffirming its leadership in the hospitality sector.

ASPHL’s growth is fueled by expansion into Tier 2 and Tier 3 markets. The company recently signed an MoU to acquire and manage four leisure properties in Goa, Manali, Shimla, and Dharamshala, adding 138 rooms under its brand. These steps align with ASPHL’s strategy to broaden its presence in high-potential tourism destinations and double its key count to 5,750 over the next five years.

Flurys, ASPHL’s iconic bakery and confectionery brand, now operates 102 outlets nationwide, reflecting the company’s focus on expanding its market presence while integrating modern amenities with rich cultural heritage.

Commenting on the performance, Vijay Dewan, Managing Director, Apeejay Surrendra Park Hotels, said,

"We have delivered an extraordinary and best-ever Q1, setting a strong momentum for the year ahead. With topline growth of 14% and EBITDA growth of 16%, we recorded India’s highest occupancy of 92% and maintained leadership in RevPAR in the upper-upscale segment. ARR improved by 13% and RevPAR increased by 12%. With nearly 600 new rooms added, including a 41% rise in our asset-light model, and nationwide Flurys rollout, we are poised to scale faster, enhance margins, and deliver exceptional shareholder value."

ASPHL’s strong performance in Q1 FY26 underscores its strategic focus on market expansion, operational excellence, and premium guest experiences.


Marriott Announces Dividend and Expands Share Buyback Plan

Marriott Announces Dividend and Expands Share Buyback Plan

By Manu Vardhan Kannan

Published on August 10, 2025

Marriott International, Inc. has declared a quarterly cash dividend of 67 cents per share on its common stock, reaffirming its commitment to delivering shareholder value. The dividend will be paid on September 30, 2025, to shareholders who are on record as of August 21, 2025.

Alongside the dividend announcement, the hospitality giant also revealed an expansion of its share repurchase program. The board of directors has authorized the repurchase of an additional 25 million shares of its Class A common stock. This comes in addition to the approximately 7.4 million shares that were still available under previous authorizations as of July 30, 2025.

Marriott has already bought back 6.4 million shares this year, amounting to $1.7 billion. These moves reflect the company’s continued confidence in its financial stability and long-term performance, aiming to strengthen shareholder value through strategic capital allocation.


Chennai Postal Services Still Disrupted: Experts Call for Alternative Systems Amid Software Transition

Chennai Postal Services Still Disrupted: Experts Call for Alternative Systems Amid Software Transition

By Author

Published on August 4, 2025

In what was intended to be a smooth digital transformation, postal services across the Chennai Circle continue to remain disrupted even days after a scheduled upgrade to India Post's new IT 2.0 system. The software transition—part of a broader effort to modernize the nation’s postal network—was implemented on August 2nd and 4th across Chennai North and South divisions. However, officials have now confirmed that technical issues still persist, leaving customers and businesses grappling with delayed or inaccessible services.

Key services such as Speed Post, registered mail, parcel bookings, and money orders have either been significantly slowed or paused altogether in many branches. Despite expectations that systems would normalize post-upgrade, the rollout of the Advanced Postal Technology (APT) system has proven more complex than anticipated.

“We are still working on stabilizing the system. There have been unforeseen glitches post-upgrade, and our teams are actively resolving them,” said a senior postal official who requested anonymity.

The disruption has raised concerns across industries—including the hospitality sector—where timely document dispatch, license renewals, vendor payments, and customer correspondence are crucial to daily operations.

Experts and industry stakeholders are now calling on India Post to introduce alternative operational strategies or backup mechanisms during such large-scale transitions.

“In a digital age where seamless service is non-negotiable, a complete blackout due to a software update is avoidable. A fallback process, whether manual or cloud-based, should be in place to ensure continuity,” said a Chennai-based hospitality consultant.

The hospitality industry relies heavily on postal services for legal documentation, international communication, and procurement logistics. The ongoing delays have caused bottlenecks not just in operations but also in customer experience delivery.

As authorities continue to work toward a resolution, the broader question remains: Should India’s essential public infrastructure be this vulnerable to a single system upgrade? The answer may lie in future-proofing core services with hybrid digital models that include disaster recovery plans and parallel systems.


Hospitalitynews.in will continue to track updates as the situation evolves.

Stay up-to-date with the latest Hospitality news and trends in the Hospitality industry!

Subscribe to Hospitality news e-magazine for free and never miss an issue.

By clicking subscribe for free you agree to the Terms & Conditions and acknowledge our Privacy Policy.

Advertise With Us

We have various options to advertise with us including Events, Advertorials, Banners, Mailers, etc.