Willie Walsh Wants IndiGo to Go Long-Haul Without Losing Its Low-Cost Core

Photo Credit: Willie Walsh, speaking at the IATA annual general meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. IATA IndiGo wants to become a global airline, but CEO Willie Walsh made clear that international expansion cannot come at the expense of the low-cost model that made it India’s largest carrier. That balancing act is already prompting the airline to review some longstanding policies, including fuel hedging. IndiGo has historically avoided hedging, but Walsh said he has taken the issue to the board as the airline prepares to compete with international carriers that routinely hedge fuel. Fuel hedging locks in fuel prices in advance to protect against sudden price spikes. “Hedging is about managing risk, it’s not about taking a bet on what price fuel will be,” he said at his first media briefing in Delhi on Monday. “We're not planning to hedge until we’ve completed that comprehensive review.” The review comes as fuel costs put pressure on the airline’s finances. IndiGo lost about INR 19 billion ($197 million) in the September quarter, narrower t