Long Haul, low cost flights to various cities in Europe is set to begin in India. According to a report, apart from Indian low-cost carriers, several foreign companies will compete in this market as well. Singapore Airline’s Scoot is one such foreign airline which might begin the services in India, as they already have a privilege which reportedly allows them to operate direct flights between India and Europe.
 

The lowest price bucket for a one-way trip which Scoot can offer from Mumbai to Copenhagen route will range from Rs. 12,000 to Rs. 13,000, including the cost of 20 kg check-in baggage and meal. The privilege Scoot has over other airlines presently is called the ‘Fifth Freedom’ rights, which allows direct flight operations from Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai and Kolkata to Copenhagen, Vienna, Cairo and Manchester. The lowest price on direct flights between India and Europe presently begins at around Rs. 45,000. Cheaper fares will be available on transit flights that halts in the Middle East, the TOI report claimed.

Apart from Scoot, Norwegian Air has been reportedly eyeing the Indian market. They rewrote the Low-Cost Carrier pricing rules and offered deals as cheap as Rs 19,000 and RS 22,000 for return fares on the Los Angeles-Copenhagen and New York-Oslo route respectively.
Indian LCCs SpiceJet and IndiGo are expected to soon launch their first European long-haul flight to London-Gatwick.

According to a Centre for Asia Pacific (CAPA) May-June 2017 report, the long-haul, low-cost sector surpassed 5,00,000 weekly seats (globally) for the first time. Scoot has recently launched flight between India and Singapore and since the bilateral agreement limits their number of operating flights, they are hoping to launch newer flights once the next bilateral is signed.

Since the past couple of years, constant communication with foreign airlines such as FlyDubai, AirArabia ,Qatar, Silk Air,Thai Airways, AirAsia etc has borne wings to the possibility of limited international air connectivity to and from Surat. Chairman, aviation committee of South Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SGCCI) Rajnikant Marfatia said, "While we are in constant touch with several international airlines which are eager to begin operations from Surat, we are awaiting Union minister of civil aviation Jayant Sinha to keep his word regarding international connectivity with Indian carriers such as Air India Express and SpiceJet since international carriers have exhausted their bilateral seat entitlements. The Government of India needs to review potential and increase seats for foreign airlines eager to start flights to Surat."

Surat has always been a key market for FlyDubai the desire to add Surat to the international network has been expressed at various forums. However, permission for the same is subject to traffic rights. If those are resolved with the Government of India, the operations to Surat with at least one daily service between Dubai and Surat will begin. International airlines are looking at two-point clearance for Surat airport — one being notified as an international airport by ministry of civil aviation, secondly Surat must be added as a point of call in the bilateral agreement between Dubai and India.

Philippine Airlines (PAL) plans to use a new subfleet of longer range A321neos to expand in Australia and launch services to India. In 2018 PAL is taking delivery of six A321neos with two auxiliary centre fuel tanks, enabling flights of over eight hours.

PAL has opted for a low density 176-seat two class configuration for its first six A321neos. Lie flat seats will be provided in business class, providing a premium product like that in long haul widebody aircraft, and both cabins will have seatback IFE.

PAL has orders for 21 A321neos, for delivery from 2018 to 2024. However, after the initial six longer-range aircraft are delivered in 2018, the airline intends to take the remaining 15 aircraft from 2019 in standard two-class configuration as replacements for A320ceos.