IndiGo's London leap: Airline to begin daily Heathrow flights from October 26 with leased Dreamliners; targets 40% overseas capacity by FY30
IndiGo
on Saturday announced it will launch daily non-stop flights to London Heathrow from October 26, 2025, using leased Boeing 787-9 Dreamliners, as part of a larger international expansion plan.
This milestone comes as India's largest airline by market share prepares to induct five more Dreamliners this financial year, strengthening its long-haul play and bolstering connectivity to key global hubs. The London route will mark a major step in IndiGo's wide-body operations as it seeks to scale up its international presence, according to an ET report.
'As we celebrate IndiGo's 19th anniversary, we are immensely proud of the journey we have had so far and equally excited about the way ahead,' said Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo.
'The love and support of millions of our customers, coupled with the shared passion and drive of more than 66,000 IndiGo employees, has fueled our flight towards new heights and across new frontiers,' he added.
'Today, we are delighted to announce our next strides in international markets, especially our daily, direct flights to London Heathrow. Looking ahead, we are hopeful to continue winning hearts and accolades in India as well as globally, as we expand our operations across the globe, one airport at a time,' Elbers said.
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The airline will also expand its business-class offering — IndiGoStretch — to more routes. Beginning August 9, it will operate two-class A321s on the Singapore–Delhi and Singapore–Mumbai sectors, before expanding the service to Delhi–Dubai from August 30 and Mumbai–Dubai from September 3.
The carrier, recently crowned the 'Best Airline in India and South Asia' and the 'Cleanest Airline in India and South Asia' by Skytrax, is now betting big on premium travel and long-haul connectivity.
Its wide-body fleet strategy got a further boost after it converted purchase rights for 30 Airbus A350s into firm orders, bringing the total A350 order book to 60.
Beyond London, IndiGo is preparing for launches to Copenhagen, Athens, and Siem Reap, and four destinations in Central Asia by FY26.
The airline has also expanded its codeshare partnerships — most recently with Jetstar, unlocking access to 14 destinations in Australia and New Zealand.
Tie-ups with KLM and Japan Airlines have also deepened, while a memorandum of understanding with Delta, Air France-KLM, and Virgin Atlantic aims to enhance connectivity between India, Europe, and North America.
IndiGo now operates a fleet of over 430 aircraft and connects 90+ domestic and 40 international destinations. The average age of its fleet is 4.9 years — recognised by ch-aviation as the world's youngest aircraft fleet (100+ aircraft category) — and it continues to top on-time performance rankings, according to DGCA data.
In the domestic segment, it has added Adampur (Punjab) and Hindon (Uttar Pradesh) to its network, and will operate 18 daily flights from Navi Mumbai airport once operations begin. It has also signed an MoU with Bangalore International Airport Ltd to build MRO infrastructure in Bengaluru.
The airline aims to increase its international capacity share from 28% to 40% by FY30. Deliveries of long-range A321 XLRs are expected this fiscal, followed by A350-900s in 2027.
'We will continue to add more destinations internationally, especially with XLRs coming in along with our newly leased wide body aircraft for long haul operations,' Elbers said in IndiGo's FY25 annual report. 'From 28 per cent current international capacity share, we are aiming for 40 per cent by FY 2030.'
Despite external headwinds such as aircraft groundings and oil price volatility, IndiGo said it remains 'optimistic', citing mitigation strategies that include fleet diversification, operating leases, and OEM agreements.
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