IndiGo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) is expanding its international footprint by launching more direct flights to Europe and Africa, aiming to tap into the country's outbound tourism boom with a long-haul strategy that has historically yielded mixed results for low-cost carriers.
The airline will use a combination of leased widebody B787-9s and new long-range narrowbody A321-200NY(XLR)s. It also plans to induct thirty A350-900s starting in 2027, CEO Pieter Elbers told Bloomberg.
As previously reported, IndoGo is adding three B787-9s on damp lease from Norse Atlantic Airways (N0, Oslo Gardermoen) in the second half of 2025 (it already damp-leases one) and has sixty-nine A321XLRs on order from Airbus.
The focus is on direct international connectivity from various Indian cities, moving away from relying on transit traffic, Elbers emphasised. This strategy aims to attract both Indian outbound travellers and foreign tourists. "Rather than focusing mostly on transit passengers, our goal is to enhance direct international connectivity from multiple Indian cities,” he explained.
Having entered international markets nearly 14 years ago and with a 64% share of the domestic market, IndiGo Airlines is now making direct international flights central to its next growth phase.
ch-aviation fleets data shows that IndiGo awaits delivery of 921 aircraft on top of its existing fleet of 433. Orders include one A320-200, 241 A320-200Ns, 580 A321-200NX, sixty-nine A321-200NY(XLR)s, and thirty A350-900s.
It already operates thirty-eight A320-200s (including 12 wet-leases),194 A320-200Ns, 136 A321-200NX, three A321-200(P2F)s, and forty-eight ATR72-600s. In addition, it wet-leases eight B737-8 MAX, two B737-800s, two B777-300ERs, and one B787-9.
