IndiGo anticipates surpassing a fleet size of 600 aircraft by 2030 (Photo: India Outbound/Palak Chawla)
IndiGo, the largest Indian carrier, has outlined ambitious growth and expansion plans for the year ahead, setting the stage for the 81st Annual General Meeting of the International Air Transport Association, a global airline association, that is set to take place in Delhi, from June 1 to June 3.
IndiGo is the partner airline for the AGM. Addressing a press conference in Delhi on Friday, Pieter Elbers, CEO, IndiGo, briefed media about IndiGo’s achievements, goals and future expansion plans.
During the presentation, Elbers announced that the airline has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) to build a Maintenance Repair Overhaul, MRO, facility. The facility, to be built on about 12.54 hectares of land, will be equipped to handle narrow-body and wide-body aircraft.
Elbers said that with more than 400 aircraft in its fleet and over 900 on order, a dedicated MRO facility will give the largest Indian carrier an advantage in terms of aircraft availability, greater cost efficiencies and quicker turnaround benefiting the airline.
With one new aircraft joining the fleet every week throughout FY26, IndiGo anticipates surpassing a fleet size of 600 aircraft by 2030. Additionally, the airline has already begun receiving its first widebody aircraft as part of an agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for the damp lease of six Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft, deliveries of which will be completed by early 2026, anticipating the arrival of the A350’s in 2027.
The airline is also set to add A321XLR aircraft, a longer-range single aisle aircraft of the A321 family, in FY26, opening doors to new long-range international markets not previously connected directly to India.
IndiGo is planning to expand its long-haul network to London & Copenhagen later this year. (Photo: India Outbound/Palak Chawla)
“India is amongst the fastest growing aviation markets in the world and as the largest Indian airline, IndiGo is committed to consistently increase its contribution to this growth. The Financial Year 2025 has been a pivotal year in our journey as we took significant steps in our evolution into a truly global airline. This includes introduction of IndiGoStretch our tailor-made business offering, and BlueChip, our loyalty program, besides sizeable network expansion in the domestic as well as international market,” said Elbers.
“We are focussed on our holistic growth to be able to offer affordable, convenient, on-time travel experience to our customers on a growing domestic and international route network. We also remain determined to maintain our cost leadership while continuously enhancing our operational efficiency and profitability, thereby, ensuring strong returns on our shareholders’ trust, support and investment,” he added.
Network expansion
In terms of network expansion, the airline will add eight new international destinations in addition to the direct flights from Mumbai to Manchester and Amsterdam, set to begin in July. IndiGo is also planning to expand its long-haul network to London and Copenhagen later this year. In 2026, it will also launch flights to Greek capital Athens.
The statement adds that the airline will also re-activate services to Almaty in Kazakhstan and Tashkent in Uzbekistan with new non-stop services from Mumbai. Tbilisi will also see additional capacity with non-stop connectivity from Mumbai.
IndiGo is set to introduce direct flights to Siem Reap in Cambodia and will also add capacity to Denpasar Bali in Indonesia along with Ho Chi Mihn City and Hanoi in Vietnam.
In the domestic market, the airline plans to add four more stations to its network, including Hindon, Adampur, Navi Mumabi and Noida increasing it from 91 to 95 destinations. The airline will be the first to start operations at the Navi Mumbai International Airport and Noida International Airport in Jewar.
During his presentation, Elbers added that the existing relationship with Japan Airlines will shortly become reciprocal, with IndiGo also placing its marketing flight codes on Japan Airlines between points in Southeast Asia and Tokyo, thus providing seamless connectivity for customers travelling between India and Japan.
Elbers added that following the launch of IndiGo’s business product, IndiGoStretch, in November 2024, the airline now operates it on around 140 daily flights. IndiGo plans to add 40 to 45 more aircraft featuring the IndiGoStretch product.
The airline will also expand IndiGoStretch to selected international regional routes using its A321 aircraft. Starting June 29, these two-cabin A321s will gradually be introduced on all flights between Delhi and Mumbai, as well as on routes to Bangkok, Singapore, Phuket and Dubai.
For the first time in its history, IndiGo will also offer specially curated complimentary hot meals and beverages from iconic Indian brands on its long-haul routes to Manchester and Amsterdam.
Financial performance
In the financial year 2024–25, IndiGo saw strong revenue growth of 18 pc, bringing its total revenue to INR 841 billion. This marks the first time the airline has entered the USD 10 billion range.
For the same period, IndiGo posted a net profit of INR 72.6 billion, reflecting a profit margin of 9 pc. The airline recorded a net profit of INR 30.7 billion in the quarter ending March 2025, its highest-ever profit for a fourth quarter.
“Today’s set of ambitious announcements for FY26 are yet another important step for IndiGo. Adding 14 new destinations, 10 international and 4 domestic, growing partnerships with airlines and airports will not only be greatly beneficial to our customers but also at the very heart of our purpose of giving wings to the nation,” added Elbers.
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