The international expansion plans of India’s largest airline, IndiGo, are likely to be shelved until the airline addresses its ongoing pilot shortage crisis, multiple executives aware of the airline’s plans told FE.
Expansion on Ice
IndiGo, which was earlier planning to add five new international destinations to its direct roster by the end of March 2026, is now planning to delay international expansion to the start of 2026-27, after it has added sufficient pilots to its roster, a senior airline executive told FE.
“The focus on adding five more international destinations after Athens by the end of 2025-26 has been put on the back burner. The focus now is to ensure the availability of pilots so that snags in international networks and vice versa do not have a large impact on the entire network,” the first executive said.
He added that the airline was in advanced discussions to add direct flights to Paris, Brussels and Birmingham before the end of 2025-26, but those plans have been shelved for the new financial year.
Another executive aware of the airline’s plans said that IndiGo is also looking to create a more flexible international and domestic network for the coming financial year, giving itself the flexibility to address unavoidable network snags, such as aircraft on the ground (AOG), pilot shortages, or delays due to weather conditions.
Emails sent to IndiGo remained unanswered till the time of publishing.
The focus away from international expansion also comes at a time when IndiGo became India’s largest airline by international passenger traffic in the July–September 2025 quarter, for the first time in its 19-year journey.
The airline last quarter carried 41.3 lakh passengers, marginally surpassing the combined Air India and Air India Express network, which transported 41.1 lakh passengers, according to data released by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
IndiGo had set a target to serve 50 international destinations with direct flights from India by the end of 2025-26. IndiGo currently operates direct flights to 45 international destinations across 30 countries.
To support long-haul operations, IndiGo has a strategic damp lease arrangement with Norse Atlantic Airways, which currently operates four Boeing 787-9 aircraft on European routes, with two more expected soon. The airline is also getting deliveries of its first A321 XLR aircraft in January 2026, which it will use to operate its direct flights from Delhi & Mumbai to Athens.
Regulatory Turbulence
However, last week, IndiGo was forced to reduce its domestic flying schedule by 10 per cent following a mandate by the Civil Aviation Ministry after nearly 4,000 IndiGo flights were cancelled between December 3rd and December 9th. Amongst the 4,000 cancelled flights, around 800 were international flights, according to data by the DGCA.
On December 9, the DGCA directed IndiGo to reduce its schedule by 10 per cent across sectors, especially on high-demand and high-frequency flights. The airline was also asked to avoid cuts on routes where it has a single flight.
The airline also lowered its capacity and revenue guidance for the third quarter of the financial year 2026. The airline initially expected a high-teens capacity growth for the third quarter, but now it has adjusted that estimate to a growth in the high single to early double digits. Additionally, the unit revenue forecast has been lowered; the airline now anticipates a mid-single-digit decrease instead of stable or slight growth.