IndiGo has become India’s largest international airline by the number of destinations it serves, now operating flights to 43 overseas cities.
Industry data shows that IndiGo has overtaken Air India on a standalone basis, which currently flies to 42 international destinations. The Air India Group, which includes Air India and Air India Express, still leads overall with more than 50 global destinations.
Air India, which previously held the top position, has slipped to second place after a self-imposed safety pause and the cancellation of some routes. Despite this, both Indian carriers remain far behind global airlines such as Emirates and Turkish Airlines, each of which connects passengers to over 200 destinations worldwide.
IndiGo is not slowing down. The airline plans to launch flights to new cities including London, Copenhagen and Siem Reap by the end of the year. This milestone comes 14 years after its first international service, which began on September 1, 2011, with a flight between Delhi and Dubai. Soon after, routes to Bangkok, Singapore, Muscat and Kathmandu were added, marking the start of a rapid global expansion.
In 2019, IndiGo made its entry into Europe with direct flights to Istanbul. By 2023, it had widened its network into Central Asia and Africa with services to destinations such as Jakarta, Nairobi, Almaty, Tashkent, Baku and Tbilisi. Its international footprint strengthened further in June 2025 with long-haul flights to Manchester and Amsterdam.
At present, international routes make up about 30 per cent of IndiGo’s overall capacity. The airline aims to increase this share to 40 per cent by FY30, supported by a growing fleet. Deliveries of Boeing 787s from Norse Atlantic are expected, along with the arrival of Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which will help extend IndiGo’s reach. The planned induction of Airbus A350 widebodies in 2027 will also allow operations on ultra-long-haul routes.
According to aviation experts, IndiGo’s strong international expansion reflects both India’s rising demand for overseas travel and the airline’s strategy to position itself as a leading global player.
Chief Executive Officer Pieter Elbers has said that IndiGo’s ambitions mirror India’s economic journey. “We have started the strategy towards ‘new heights and across new frontiers’,” he said. “Our ambition really is that by 2030, when India is firmly the third-largest economy in the world, our airline should be a reflection of all the ambition India embodies.”
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