IndiGo expects to start getting its wide-body Airbus A350 aircraft from the second quarter of 2028, Chief Executive Willie Walsh said on Monday at his first in-person briefing since taking charge in August, The Hindu reported.
Walsh said the airline had all the ingredients to succeed in the long-haul market, according to the report.
He called the current situation challenging for the industry, with rising fuel costs hurting airlines' profitability, and said IndiGo would navigate through it with a focus on keeping an excellent cost base. "We see incredible opportunities," he said.
The numbers behind it
IndiGo reported a loss of ₹1,879.1 crore in the September quarter, as higher fuel costs and the weaker rupee hit profitability, The Hindu reported. The airline also reduced capacity during this period.
It operates over 2,100 flights a day and has an operational fleet of over 400 aircraft, according to the report.
Walsh also said Navi Mumbai airport offers a big opportunity for IndiGo, and that the decision to partly shift international flights there was taken in the airline's interest.
Why it matters
The A350 date matters because IndiGo has for now stepped back from wide-body flying. Gulf News reported in August that the airline would stop its wide-body operations from October 25 and end its damp lease with Norse Atlantic Airways by the end of October, citing geopolitical tensions, rising costs, airspace constraints, fuel prices and currency pressures.
As a result, Mumbai-Amsterdam flights were to move to the Airbus A321XLR from October 25, while London Heathrow services were to be suspended until the A350-900s begin arriving, according to that report.
Walsh, a former chief of British Airways and the International Air Transport Association, took over after a difficult period. IndiGo cancelled more than 4,500 flights around December 2025, after a severe pilot shortage coincided with new duty-time rules, and was given a record fine by the aviation regulator, Gulf News reported.