IndiGo is India’s largest airline by market share, but CEO Pieter Elbers stressed the global expansion on the 2025 earnings call Wednesday.
“When I joined IndiGo three years ago, we had around 25 international destinations. We closed financial year 2025 with 40, and last week we added our 41st — Fujairah. That’s nearly 65% growth in less than three years.”
This growth has not been just in destination count. IndiGo’s international available seat kilometres (ASKs) now make up 30% of its total capacity. The airline plans to take this figure beyond 40% by fiscal 2030.
A big push is also underway into Europe. Starting July, IndiGo will launch flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam and Manchester using wide-body aircraft damp-leased from Norse Atlantic Airways. These flights mark IndiGo’s first steps into competing on long-haul intercontinental routes.
“The opportunity in that field is massive,” said Elbers. “For Europe, the share of Indian operators is only about one-third. Two-thirds of the traffic is flown by non-Indian operators and that’s direct flights only. So, with the cost base and product that IndiGo has, we should be able to get a significant share of that market.”
Expanding Fleet and Leg Room
Aircraft acquisition is central to IndiGo’s growth. In fiscal 2025, IndiGo added 67 aircraft, and received 58 new Airbus deliveries. Elbers said IndiGo was “the single largest receiver of Airbus aircraft globally.”
Onboard, IndiGo is introducing its “Stretch” business class product — now active on six domestic routes and on the international Delhi–Bangkok sector operated by a wide-body. “We continue to add one plane every week in order to come to that total number of around 40 planes with the Stretch configuration,” Elbers said.
Meanwhile, the loyalty program BluChip, launched just seven months ago, has already attracted 2.9 million members, with partnerships lined up with brands like Accor and Swiggy.
With over 2,200 daily departures and operations in 91 domestic destinations, the airline is also bulking up its domestic network with new cities and increased frequencies.
Spotlight on the Turkish Airlines Deal
Elbers addressed questions around the codeshare and leasing agreement with Turkish Airlines.
Media reports have cited pressure to halt the arrangement following India’s boycott call for Turkish companies. Indian airports have also terminated agreements with Turkish and Chinese firms for their support for Pakistan during the India-Pakistan armed conflict earlier this month.
Since 2023, two aircraft leased from Turkish Airlines, complete with crew, have operated on the Delhi and Mumbai to Istanbul routes.
“We had, and we still have lots and lots of Indian customers booked on these flights mostly connecting over Istanbul and flying to other parts of the world for their travel needs,” Elbers said.
“The operations… are fully compliant and in line not only with the regulatory framework, but also with the rules and regulations from the government.”
Long-Haul Ambitions and the XLR Edge
While long-haul is still a new frontier, IndiGo is making calculated moves. The six Boeing 787s leased from Norse are the start. Elbers also noted the importance of the Airbus A321XLR, calling it “a very important tool” for connecting destinations that are too far for narrow-bodies but don’t yet justify a full wide-body operation.
Routes such as Delhi–Nairobi and Delhi–Bali are seen as ideal fits for the XLR.
By fiscal 2030, the airline expects to operate about 30 wide-body aircraft out of a projected fleet of 600, using a mix of narrow-bodies, XLRs, and wide-bodies to serve regional and intercontinental demand.
Strong Numbers Despite Mid-Year Challenges
For fiscal 2025, IndiGo crossed $10 billion in revenue for the first time. Income was up 18%.
The airline served 118.6 million passengers, up more than 11%. The fourth quarter was boosted by festive and pilgrimage demand, especially to Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh.
“We witnessed a remarkable surge in demand… including the highest number of customers served during any quarter,” Elbers said.