IndiGo to launch first Airbus A321XLR service to Athens
September 15, 2025
IndiGo has revealed plans to operate India’s first Airbus A321XLR aircraft on a new route linking India with Greece, as it revealed it expects to take delivery of the type by the end of the year.
Scheduled to commence in January 2026, the airline will offer six weekly direct services between Athens and India, pending regulatory approval.
IndiGo to connect India and Greece with the XLR
IndiGo intends to operate three flights per week from both Delhi and Mumbai, making it the only Indian carrier to provide non-stop connections to Athens.
The carrier will market the service as offering convenient access to Greece’s islands, while also enhancing connectivity to other European destinations via the city.
Interestingly, Greek flag carrier AEGEAN Airlines has ordered two new Airbus A321XLR aircraft, which it intends to use to connect with India.
With delivery expected in December 2025 and January 2026, AEGEAN is planning to begin its XLR operations with flights to New Delhi in March 2026 and Mumbai in May 2026.
Pieter Elbers, IndiGo’s CEO, said: “Athens as the inaugural destination for IndiGo’s, and India’s, first Airbus A321XLR is a symbolic milestone of India’s aviation ascent.
“IndiGo is proud to be the only Indian airline, currently, to announce direct flights between India and Greece – two ancient civilisations with a history of long-standing relationship, now deepened by modern-day bilateral and economic ties.
“This new aviation corridor is a strategic step in IndiGo’s international expansion and aligns perfectly with India’s growing economy and tourism industry.”
Adding to Indigo’s European presence, the carrier recently said it would be increasing flight frequencies on recently launched long-haul routes connecting Mumbai with Amsterdam and Manchester.
Indigo said it had been “encouraged by the outstanding response” to those two new routes. From 20 September 2025, IndiGo will fly six times per week between Mumbai and Amsterdam, and further increase it to daily service from 13 October.
Connections between Mumbai and Manchester will be enhanced to four times weekly from 22 September.
The airline launched operations to Manchester and Amsterdam on 1 and 2 July, respectively, using its first Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft taken on damp-lease from Norse Atlantic Airways.
IndiGo will take delivery of five additional Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft in the current financial year.
Reaping the benefits of the XLR
The Airbus A321XLR is reshaping long-haul narrow-body operations by enabling airlines to serve “thin” international routes that cannot sustain widebody aircraft.
With a maximum range of 8,700 km, the XLR allows single-aisle aircraft to reach destinations previously out of reach for narrowbodies, bridging medium- and long-haul markets with lower operating costs and reduced risk for operators such as Indigo that have a low-cost business model.
For carriers like IndiGo, the XLR offers the advantage of connecting secondary markets, such as Athens, directly from cities like Delhi and Mumbai without the need to fill a larger widebody jet, while the route becomes established and traffic flows are better understood.
