IndiGo Eyes Break To Air India-KLM Duopoly With New Amsterdam Flights This Summer

IndiGo
is venturing for the long-haul. The airline is getting a headstart on its European expansion, reportedly calling on Norse Atlantic Airways for the capacity it needs ahead of its Airbus A350s start being delivered. The anticipated network is not at all insignificant.

The airline is eying service to important European hubs, namely Amsterdam, London and Paris, local media reports believe. Amsterdam is more certain. Flights from Mumbai and Delhi are in the works.

The Norse Atlantic wet-lease

IndiGo has widebody planes on order to that effect, having signed an agreement with Airbus for 30 A350-900s.

Deliveries are expected from 2027, giving the airline’s competition plenty of time to prepare and solidify their position in the India-Europe market (at least, primarily). But IndiGo knows this, of course.

Photo: Norse Atlantic

Near the end of last month, IndiGo confirmed that it is searching for widebody capacity in the meantime. Local reports suggested that IndiGo had signed an agreement with Norse Atlantic Airways for six Boeing 787 aircraft which will be used in the interim to launch long-haul flights. In an earnings call, CEO Peter Elbers said:

“Subject to regulator proposals, we are exploring interim solutions for the earlier introduction of long-range aircraft to our fleet through wet leases. Route and network opportunities are being explored at present and we will communicate as and when they are finalised.”

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The deal will help IndiGo achieve its goals of starting long-haul international service as early as 2025, including to London and Paris.

Amsterdam-bound

According to Hindu Business Line, IndiGo has applied for slots at Amsterdam’s congested Schiphol Airport (AMS). The airline hopes to launch services from the two major Indian airports, Mumbai Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (BOM) and Delhi’s Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL). In this tentative plan, flights from each of the hubs would operate daily.

Peter Elbers, a Dutchman born and raised in The Netherlands, confirmed that Amsterdam was being considered. That being said, does Elbers want a direct route home or does the route make sense – or indeed, both? In an interview with De Telegraaf, the airline boss said:

“We are always looking for opportunities and are looking for aircraft with which we could do that. The Netherlands is an interesting market, because of the Indian community and companies.”

Photo: IndiGo

According to OAG booking data for the 12 months ending July 2024, just under 117,000 two-way passengers traveled between Amsterdam and Delhi. Meanwhile, from Mumbai, this figure stands at about 70,000 people. There’s a solid market to justify the new routes, especially considering the catchment area beyond Delhi and Mumbai should the carrier look at attracting connecting traffic. A sizeable amount of passengers also traveled between Amsterdam and the following cities in the Indian subcontinent.

• Colombo (CMB)
• Bengaluru (BLR)
• Chennai (MAA)
• Male (MLE)
• Hyderabad (HYD)

A threat to Europe’s airlines

IndiGo’s low-fare model and extensive network in the Indian subcontinent and beyond makes it a viable competitor to the existing airlines on the market. Between India and the Netherlands, KLM and Air India both offer flights, which are listed below.

• KLM Royal Dutch Airlines: Bengaluru (BLR), Delhi (DEL) and Mumbai (BOM)
• Air India: Delhi (DEL)

KLM’s near-monopoly on flights in this market will be significantly challenged should IndiGo decide to go through with its plan this summer. More broadly, with most airlines in Western Europe facing Russian airspace restrictions limiting service to the Far East, India was one of the few remaining significant Asian gateways for expansion.

Photo: KLM

For the 12 months ending December 2025, European airlines have scheduled over 12,300 flights on the India-Europe market, the majority therefore of the nearly 20,000 planned according to Cirium data.

A threat to Air India

Air India contributes 6,300 flights to make up the remainder, complemented by Air Canada’s 150 with its Calgary-London-Delhi service. Air India is clearly in a bit of trouble with IndiGo’s planned European expansion.

Based purely on a number of flights, IndiGo’s position in the Indian domestic market far exceeds that of the runner-up, Air India. Take a look at the table below based on Cirium data for the 12 months ending December 2025.

Photo: Air India

Whether Air India will be able to keep up is another question. The carrier already has a well-solidified position on the international scene, primarily in the long-haul market. Its recent merger with Vistara further contributes to this market position, while aircraft orders mean deliveries of new planes over the next years will only serve to reinforce it. Air India might not be in as much trouble as the European airlines.

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The Indian flag carrier appears to be behind the purchase.

One thing is clear, though. Even a passing glance shows that IndiGo’s entry into the European market (aside from existing service to Istanbul) is bad news for everyone else. It’s just a matter of time.