Following a delay, IndiGo will receive its A321 XLRs in the financial year 2026, according to IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers.
The exact number of XLRs to be delivered is still under discussion with Airbus, Mr Elbers told The Hindu.
The airline has 69 A321 XLRs on order, which is a part of its 300 A320 neo family aircraft ordered in 2019. The XLRs provide extended range capabilities, making it the longest-range single-aisle aircraft.
They were previously expected to join IndiGo’s fleet in financial year 2024-2025 but the aircraft’s entry into service was delayed due to certification issues faced by the aircraft manufacturer.
The airline is marking its foray into non-stop flights to Europe from July with flights to Manchester and Amsterdam. The airline will use Boeing 787-9s wet leased from Norse Atlantic till its own widebody Airbus A350s ordered last May start to join the fleet from mid 2027. In the meantime, “the airline will continue to look for further ways to expand our reach”, said the CEO.
The XLRs will have 12 business and 183 economy seats, the airline informed in a presentation during its investor’s meet on Wednesday.
Mr. Elbers mentioned Athens and Geneva in Europe as a set of possible destinations that XLR can help the airline connect, along with other destinations like Denpasar in Indonesia which is connected with Bengaluru but not with Delhi because of range restrictions of the A320 neo the airline uses.
On the airline’s departure from its purely low-cost model, the CEO said, “We have left the pure LCC definition long ago. What we have is our cost leadership and we continue to maintain that. We’re building a model which matches the needs of our customers.”
Published – March 19, 2025 08:49 pm IST
