IndiGo Continues Profit Momentum As Western Europe Debut Nears

IndiGo has revealed launch details of its initial flights to Western Europe against a backdrop of strong financial results.

The carrier will introduce flights from Mumbai to Manchester, England, on July 1, and from Mumbai to Amsterdam on July 2. Both services will be three times per week, and the LCC will enhance its inflight service offering to include complimentary hot meals and beverages for the long-haul flights.

IndiGo is using Boeing 787s damp-leased from Norse Atlantic Airways. The airline operates one of the Norse 787s between Delhi and Bangkok; it expects to receive five more in the second half of this year and early 2026.

The airline expects to see strong demand on these routes from inbound tourists to India, business travelers and Indians visiting friends and relatives, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said during the carrier’s latest earnings call May 21.

The “opportunity is massive” for IndiGo to expand into Europe, Elbers said. He noted that while Indian airlines have generally improved their share of international traffic versus overseas airlines, Indian carriers still only carry about a third of the overall traffic on direct flights between Europe and India.

IndiGo reported a record net profit of INR30.7 billion ($358.9 million) for the three months through March 31, its fiscal fourth quarter. The carrier achieved a net profit of INR72.6 billion for its full fiscal year, which was down by 11.2% from the previous year.

Capacity was up by 21% year-on-year in the fiscal fourth quarter. IndiGo predicts a capacity percentage increase in the “mid-teens” for the June quarter, which is the first quarter of the current fiscal year. The airline estimates full-year capacity will be up by “early double digits.”

The number of aircraft on the ground (AOG) due to lack of engine availability has dropped to the mid-40s, IndiGo executives said. This is a significant improvement from peak AOG levels in the 70s around the middle of 2024.  

Because of the reduction in AOG and the rapid rate of new deliveries, IndiGo has started to return the damp-leased narrowbodies it added as a temporary measure due to the engine shortages.

The period of extreme political and military tension between India and Pakistan starting in late April caused a decline in bookings, although the drop has now stabilized and bookings have begun to rebound, IndiGo said.

The closure of Pakistan’s airspace to Indian airlines has caused IndiGo to suspend two routes, to Almaty and Tashkent. About 19 of the airline’s international routes have had to be lengthened by 20-30 min., affecting up to 34 flights per day. However, Elbers said the overall effect of the airspace closure on IndiGo is “relatively limited,” as only a small percentage of its operations had to be adjusted.