Two Indian Carriers Figure Among Top Five Cheapest Airlines in the World

IndiGo and Air India Express have been ranked among the top five cheapest airlines in the world for international flights, according to the Global Flight Pricing Report prepared by the Melbourne-based Rome2Rio travel planning website, PTI reported.

Air India Express, the wholly owned subsidiary of Indian state-run carrier Air India, ranks second on the list, with an average cost of $0.08 per km. IndiGo, placed fifth on the list released this month, charges an average of $0.10 per km for international flights, according to the report.

Air India Express connects 29 destinations in the Middle East and Asia with 550 flights every week. IndiGo operates flights between Indian cities and Gulf countries, besides Bangkok, Colombo and Kathmandu.

The list placed Air Asia X as the cheapest airline in the world. Behind Air India Express is Indonesia AirAsia on the third spot, and Primera Air in the fourth place. Four of the top five airlines on the list are from Asia. Primera Air is an Icelandic airline.

Malaysia-based AirAsia X, the sister company of AirAsia, charges an average of $0.07 per km.

Jet Airways and Air India did not figure in the top 10 in the report, securing the 12th and 13th place, respectively.

Etihad, Ryanair, Qantas, Wow Air and Virgin Australia made up the top 10 affordable airlines. Icelandic airline Wow Air recently announced its foray into India with a bid to connect New Delhi with Europe and U.S cities through its capital Reykjavik. The base price for these flights, starting from Dec. 7, costs a minimum of Rs 13,499.

The report recommends WOW Air, Norwegian Air and Virgin Atlantic for low-cost flights for travel across the United States or transatlantic travels.

The website took into account the average price per kilometer to compare 200 major airlines across the continents. The data was analysed looking into the economy class airfares displayed by Rome2Rio in the first two months of this year, which came up to about 1.5 million price points.

No airline from the United Kingdom or the United States found a place among the top 10 cheapest airlines in the report, with the Middle Eastern and Asian airlines giving a tough fight to their European counterparts. The report also points out that travel to and around Asia is more affordable than ever. Two Australian airlines made it to the list —  Virgin Australia  and Qantas.