Indigo Airlines (6E, Delhi International) aims to expand its international footprint by launching more direct flights to Europe and Africa and capitalize on the country's outbound tourism boom with long-distance strategies that have historically mixed results for low-cost carriers.
The airline will use a combination of a leased wide body B787-9S and a new long-range narrow body A321-200NY (XLR). The company also plans to introduce the 30 A350-900s from 2027, CEO Peter Elbers told Bloomberg.
As previously reported, Indogo has added three B787-9s to its wet lease from Nordic Airlines (N0, Oslo Gardermoen) in late 2025 (already wet lease), and is ordering a 69 A321XLRS from Airbus.
Elber highlighted, focusing on direct international connectivity from various Indian cities, which can sometimes move away from relying on transport. This strategy aims to attract both outbound and foreign tourists in India. “As focal point primarily on transportation, our goal is to strengthen direct international connections from multiple Indian cities,” he explained.
Indigo Airlines, which entered the international market nearly 14 years ago and gained a 64% share of the domestic market, is currently offering direct international flights at the heart of its next stage of growth.
Data from CH-Aviation Fleets shows Indigo is waiting for delivery of 921 aircraft on top of the existing fleet 433.
Already operates 38 A320-200s (including 12 wet leases), 194 A320-200NS, 136 A321-200NX, 3 A321-200 (P2F), and 48 ATR72-600S. Additionally, we wet lease eight B737-8 Max, two B737-800, two B777-300ers and one B787-9.
