IndiGo expects to take delivery of its first Airbus A321XLR by the end of this year, as it confirms Athens as the first city to be served with the long-range narrowbody.
The Indian carrier on 15 September stated it will launch six weekly flights to the Greek capital in early January 2026, three each from its hubs in Delhi and Mumbai.
This will follow the delivery of its A321XLR, which it says will take place “by the end of 2025”. The A321XLR forms part of a 300-aircraft order IndiGo placed in 2019, which also comprises a mix of A320neos and A321neos.
The airline, which will be India’s first A321XLR operator, had previously disclosed the jets will come in a two-class configuration, with 12 business-class seats – known as ‘IndiGo Stretch’ – and 183 seats in economy.
IndiGo will be the first and only Indian operator to fly between India and Greece. The carrier previously disclosed plans to serve Athens with its A321XLRs, but did not reveal a launch timeline.
Athens will be IndiGo’s fourth European destination, after Manchester, Amsterdam and London, all of which will be served with damp-leased Boeing 787s.
“The launch of Athens as IndiGo’s first XLR destination comes at a time when the India-Europe aviation market is growing, driven by both business and leisure demand. Greece, with its growing role as a tourism and trade hub, offers a strong complement to India’s expanding outbound market,” the carrier states.
IndiGo chief executive Pieter Elbers hails the “new aviation corridor” as a “strategic step” in the airline’s international expansion plans.
He states: “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.”
