IndiGo Q3 net profit soars multi-fold to Rs 1,418 cr as air travel takes off

InterGlobe Aviation Ltd, the operator of India's top airline IndiGo, on Friday reported an eleven-fold jump in quarterly profit led by a pick up in demand for air travel.

The airline has been contending with surging fuel costs and currency volatility that hit profit for the past three quarters.

However, a sharp recovery in demand for air travel to near pre-COVID levels in the domestic and international markets more than offset the fuel expenses.

IndiGo projects capacity in available seat per kilometre this quarter to expand to around 45% from a year earlier.

Yields, a metric for profitability, rose 21.9% to Rs 5.38 rupees per kilometre from a year earlier, while the carrier's load factor, or the passenger carrying capacity being utilized, improved 5.4 percentage points to 85.1%.

"It was a very strong quarter on the demand side and IndiGo performed very well. We are now back at meaningful levels of profitability," Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers said in a conference call with analysts and investors.

The company's profit came in at Rs 1,418 crore in the quarter that ended Dec. 31, from Rs 128 crore a year earlier.

Revenue from operations surged about 61% to Rs 14,933 crore.

India's aviation industry is rebounding from the throes of a pandemic-induced slowdown after travel demand fell off. The industry is now facing intense competition with the entry of a slew of new airlines. The country's newest budget carrier Akasa Air took to the skies last August, while Tata Group-backed Air India is expanding its fleet.

Last month full-service carrier Vistara, a joint venture between Tata Sons and Singapore Airlines, reported its first ever quarterly operating profit on the back of on travel demand.