IndiGo Leans Into Long-Haul Growth As International Expansion Accelerates

IndiGo expects long-haul additions to be a key driver of its winter 2025-26 schedule, saying that damp-leased Boeing 787s and its forthcoming Airbus A321XLRs will support capacity growth in the high teens.

Speaking on the airline’s fiscal second-quarter (Q2) earnings call for the three months to Sept. 30, CEO Pieter Elbers said that nearly all of its near-term capacity expansion will be directed toward international markets.

“We have doubled our international footprint from a little over 20 destinations three years back to 45 today—and we continue to build on that. The growth is even larger when you look to the number of routes,” he said. “Long-range connectivity is the next frontier, and we are moving decisively to capture it.”

Domestic capacity was essentially flat in Q2 due to the temporary closure of a runway in New Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport and deliberate capacity reallocation, while all of the airline’s year-on-year available seat kilometer (ASK) growth came from international flying. Overall ASK growth was 7.8% during Q2.

CFO Gaurav Negi said this pattern will continue through the winter season. “The large part of the capacity increase is going to happen again disproportionately towards the international,” he told analysts. IndiGo expects ASKs to rise by high teens in both the third and fourth quarters.

A key driver of this growth is the airline’s expanding long-haul operation. IndiGo has deployed four damp-leased 787s and will add two more in the coming months. The widebodies support service to Amsterdam, Manchester, Copenhagen and London Heathrow—markets Elbers said were “previously out of reach” for the carrier.

The upcoming arrival of the A321XLR will further reshape IndiGo’s network. The first aircraft is expected to be introduced “in the next few months” and will feature 183 economy seats and 12 “stretch-class” seats. Elbers said the XLR “marks a significant step forward… unlocking access to a much broader set of international destinations across Asia and Europe.” IndiGo has already announced its initial XLR routes to Athens from both New Delhi and Mumbai.

Additionally, the LCC is also rebuilding its presence in China. Service from Kolkata to Guangzhou resumed in late October, and the airline will launch New Delhi-Guangzhou flights on Nov. 10. “We are looking at adding more direct flights to China,” Elbers said.

As reported by Aviation Week, IndiGo reported a net loss of INR25.8 billion ($290.8 million) for the second quarter, versus a net loss of INR9.9 billion in the same period a year earlier. The number of aircraft grounded due to engine maintenance backlogs is in the mid-40s, Elbers said, down from a high in the 70s last year.