- IndiGo will deploy the first XLR to Athens
- Confirms there are 40 on order, will receive nine this year
- Will replace the damp leased 777s to Istanbul
India’s first and only A321XLR landed in Delhi this afternoon, turning a new chapter for IndiGo as it inducts the longest available range in the narrowbody segment available in the world. The airline will deploy the aircraft to Athens from both Delhi and Mumbai with thrice a week service starting January 23, 2026. The aircraft is configured in dual class with 12 IndiGo Stretch seats and 183 economy class seats, a significantly lower count than 208 economy class seats which are part of other dual class aircraft.
The airline, for the first time, has given a count of total XLRs on order which stands at 40 and also immediate deployment plans. The airline will induct nine XLRs in 2026, with deployment to Istanbul and Denpasar after which the airline will look for new destinations. IndiGo faced flak on social media for extending the leases with Turkish Airlines for the two B777-300ER which are deployed to Istanbul. Turkey was one of the countries helping Pakistan during Operation Sindoor and has repeatedly raked up the Kashmir issue on international platforms. In what was termed as the last extension by the government, the damp leased arrangement ends in February. IndiGo, in the past, has struggled to operate the A321neo non-stop to Istanbul with people and baggage and the XLR will solve that problem, even with the Pakistan airspace closure. Similarly, the airline will be able to convert its one-stop flights to Bali from Mumbai and Delhi to non-stops. Currently the Delhi – Bali flights take a technical halt at Bhubaneshwar, while the one from Mumbai has a technical halt at Chennai.
Four Lavs
The airline has changed the LOPA (Layout of Passenger Amenities) to have 4 lavatories instead of three that it currently has in the other A321neo and A320. This makes it one lavatory per 48 passengers, which still is higher than the average with widebodies in Indian skies. Air India’s A350-900s have one lavatory per 39.5 passengers, while the 787-9 Dreamliner which it inherited from Vistara has one per 37 passengers, same as Norse Atlantic Dreamliners which IndiGo is currently using on damp lease for flights to Europe. For longer flights, lavatory is always the concern which passengers have and long queues near the lavatory also means unpleasant experience for passengers sitting around the area.
Free & Hot meals – Finally
The biggest change is the introduction of complimentary hot meals, served with a selection of global and local beverages. This is the first IndiGo aircraft which has ovens to serve hot meals. While IndiGo offers complimentary meals on damp-leased widebody routes, it does not extend the same to other dual-class routes like Bangkok or Singapore. Vegetarian meals will be the default options, albeit with an option to pre-book non-vegetarian meals.
IndiGo does serve complimentary hot meals on its flights to Europe, but those are operated by the damp leased 787-9 Dreamliner aircraft.
Amenities
For the first time, IndiGo’s own aircraft will offer in-seat power supply and device holders in economy class. Passengers can stream content on their own devices via Bluebox, the same provider behind the in-flight entertainment for Vistara and subsequently Air India. IndiGo had trialled this on select flights to Goa.
Tail note
IndiGo has become the first Indian carrier to induct the XLRs. How will Indian passengers react to the whole experience for a 7-9 hour journey in a narrowbody aircraft? We will know soon. IndiGo’s long-haul strategy is still evolving, with multiple service models, complimentary meals, buy-on-board meals, and dual-class operations, possibly creating confusion for passengers. It will keep tweaking the offerings till it finds the right mix and that would happen before the A350s are inducted next year. The battle now shifts to getting access to bilateral rights for both IndiGo and Air India.
The XLR will open up new routes and potentially new city pairs beyond Delhi and Mumbai, routes which have demand but not enough to justify the costs of a widebody. For a limited period, passengers flying Delhi – Mumbai – Delhi can get a ride on the XLR with the operations having started today.
Found this article informative? Think of supporting Network Thoughts with Power of 10
Running this website incurs some cost, along with the data sourced for analytics. If you have liked this article, consider paying INR 10 via UPI. The site will continue to be free. This will help with the maintenance, upkeep and funding the research. You can also pay via Debit or Credit card by clicking on this link.
You can support Network Thoughts by ordering Network Thoughts baggage tags and lapel pins !
Follow NetworkThoughts on X (Formerly Twitter), Bsky, Facebook and YouTube