IndiGo's global flight plan takes off as airline hits ‘half way' mark of a big dream

Time of India

19 hours ago

When
IndiGo
co-founder Rahul Bhatia met then-KLM president Pieter Elbers three years ago, he told him: 'I know the opportunity is huge. The only thing I don't know is how huge.' That meeting marked the early days of IndiGo's plan to expand beyond its domestic dominance and enter international long-haul operations in a serious way. Now, that vision is unfolding. Last week, IndiGo began operating flights to the UK and Europe using wet-leased wide-body aircraft, marking a significant shift in its growth trajectory.
Until now, Air India was the only Indian airline operating twin-aisle aircraft for nonstop international routes following the collapse of Jet Airways in April 2019. With its first long-haul flights now underway, IndiGo plans to grow this business aggressively. After the inaugural Mumbai-Amsterdam flight landed in the Netherlands, Pieter Elbers — who joined IndiGo as CEO in September 2022 — told ToI, 'You find Indian travellers all over the world. But for very long, (a vast majority of them) have been deprived the opportunity to fly an Indian operator.'
Over the past two-and-a-half years, Bhatia and Elbers have been putting into motion a clear strategy to change that. When asked where the airline stood on its plan to become a global airline by 2030, Elbers told ToI - 'We're half way through.'
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Undo
The post-Covid travel boom pushed Indian carriers to chase a larger share of the growing international travel market. The move was aided by the Tata Group's acquisition of Air India and Air India Express in January 2022, IndiGo's robust financial position, and ongoing upgrades to India's airport infrastructure.
'The fact that we are touching down now in Europe is a big thing because of a number of firsts for us — flying long haul, serving hot meals and having Stretch on international flights. So it is much more than just two new destinations in Europe. It is the start of a very new chapter in the book of IndiGo. When IndiGo started in Aug 2006, Rahul Bhatia had a certain vision and he created that (making IndiGo India's biggest domestic airline),' Elbers told ToI.
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Bhatia had started laying the groundwork for IndiGo's global play even before Elbers joined. Both men shared a common view — that IndiGo's international ambition had the potential to become something very large. Since 2022, the airline has pursued a series of deliberate steps that Elbers described as 'building blocks to making IndiGo a global airline. These steps are not just individual or random. They are all part of a holistic plan.'
These building blocks include introducing Stretch — IndiGo's business-class style offering — on select domestic routes last November, to give the airline some exposure to premium services before launching long-haul flights to Europe. The company also rolled out a loyalty programme aimed at courting corporates and small businesses.
The broader push comes from a belief in the growing power of India's aspirational middle class. As Elbers put it: 'When IndiGo was created 18 years ago, there was a vision and there was a relentless execution of that vision. What we see now (international growth) is, I believe, a bit similar to what we had seen then.'
Currently, IndiGo is operating one wet-leased Boeing 787 from Norse Atlantic, which flies the Mumbai-Amsterdam and Mumbai-Manchester routes. It will add three more 787s this calendar year, followed by two more in early 2026. Routes announced so far include London and Copenhagen.
IndiGo is also expecting delivery of its single-aisle Airbus A321XLR aircraft starting this year. These planes will serve longer routes such as Athens, Delhi-Bali, and other Southeast Asian destinations. Due to the closure of Pakistani airspace, IndiGo's first flights to Europe are originating from Mumbai, as Delhi-west routes have become longer. Once Pakistani airspace reopens, Delhi will also begin operations to Europe.
Elbers said: 'You have seen our network over the past few years. How we expanded at both Delhi and Mumbai. And even Bangalore and Hyderabad. We're not a single hub operator. We have multiple origins — Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore. They all have their own kind of focus areas, and and even even natural flows.'
To support its long-haul ambitions over the long term, IndiGo has ordered 30 Airbus A350s, which will begin arriving in 2027. However, given persistent global supply chain delays, the airline may lease additional wide-body aircraft. Elbers said: 'We are not ruling out any opportunity or any chance. We keep looking and keep evaluating options.'
IndiGo has faced challenges with aircraft availability, especially due to the grounding of many of its Airbus A320s caused by Pratt & Whitney engine issues. At its peak, 79 aircraft were grounded; the number has now come down to the 30s. Ongoing supply chain issues post-Covid have also slowed deliveries of planes, engines, and parts.
'Overall, we still have supply chain challenges. But our big order book (IndiGo was yet to receive 916 of the ordered Airbus planes as of last month) helps us average out deliveries. I don't want any delays, but the reality is what it is. I still hope and am cautiously optimistic that we'll have our first A321XLR before the end of this calendar year,' Elbers said.
While long-term ambitions include North America, Elbers said his current focus is ensuring strong positioning in Europe first. There are also large Asian markets still untapped. 'There still are parts of Asia where we don't have any operations like Japan, Korea. And there's Australia too. With our partners Delta and, we will connect passengers to 20 North American cities (from Amsterdam),' he said.
(with ToI inputs)