From correspondents in Gujarat, India, 09:31 PM IST

Low-cost domestic airline IndiGo Airlines Thursday announced new non-stop daily flights from Ahmedabad to five other cities - New Delhi, Mumbai, Jaipur, Hyderabad and Chennai.

'With this we will now be having 121 daily flights connecting 17 destinations in the country,' IndiGo president Aditya Ghosh told reporters here.

Defying the economic gloom that gripped the aviation industry, he said: 'IndiGo is different. We have no retrenchment plans. We are hiring people in Ahmedabad.'

IndiGo has employed 2,100 people in the country.

Terming IndiGo as the youngest airline in the country, Ghosh said Ahmedabad was the industrial capital and business hub of western India.

'With the expanded network of IndiGo from Ahmedabad, people of Gujarat will be able to experience the award winning service known for its affordable fares, hassle-free and on time travel,' he said.

'We now have 18 A320s and the 19th aircraft will be coming later this month,' Ghosh said, adding all these aircraft are on lease basis.

Asked whether IndiGo has plans to launch Ahmedabad-Surat-Mumbai flight, Ghosh said: 'We certainly can look at it.'

(Staff Writer, © IANS)