Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo has confirmed that it is working to add widebody aircraft earlier than previously announced, as it aims to tap strong travel demand in its home country.
IndiGo already has two Boeing 777s on wet lease from Turkish Airlines to serve Istanbul routes and is due to begin receiving its first owned widebody aircraft from its firm commitment for 30 Airbus A350-900s in 2027, but said during an earnings call on 24 January that it wants to take long-range aircraft ahead of those deliveries.
That would help it to serve “a vast reservoir of untapped potential” on international routes, according to chief executive Pieter Elbers.
“Subject to regulator proposals, we are exploring interim solutions for the earlier introduction of long-range aircraft to our fleet through wet leases,” Elbers states.
“Route and network opportunities are being explored at present and we will communicate as and when they are finalised.”
Local reports suggest IndiGo has a agreement in place to lease six Boeing 787-9 twinjets from Scandinavian low-cost carrier Norse Atlantic Airways and begin operations to European hubs from India, potentially including Amsterdam, London and Paris.
Norse said in late November that it had a tentative agreement in place to wet-lease six of its 787s in 2025 to a “reputable” international airline. Those six aircraft account for half of its fleet.
While Elbers did not confirm the source of any leased aircraft, he did say: “If you look back at the last two years, in the supply chain-disrupted environment, we have created the ability of leveraging secondary-market capacity to cater for the robust demand.
“In that market we are hopeful that we will soon be able to cater to the demand in the long-haul markets.”
IndiGo’s need to tap secondary markets for capacity in recent months and years has partly been driven by groundings for inspections of the Pratt & Whitney PW1100G engines that power a signficant proportion of its Airbus narrowbody fleet.
Those groundings are on a “downward trajectory” today, Elbers says – albeit “slowly, slowly” – having peaked at around 70-75 aircraft in 2024. “We are now in the 60s,” he adds.
IndiGo beat guidance in its fiscal third quarter, amid what it describes as “a significant surge in demand” during November and December, alongside lower fuel costs. Its net profit of Rs24.4 billion ($278 million) was down 18% year on year, on a 14% rise in revenue to Rs221 billion. IndiGo notes its profit would have been improved year on year without currency impacts.
