New Delhi: IndiGo has reclaimed the top position among Indian carriers on international routes in April, marking the third time in the first four months of 2026 that it has led the market. The development—which saw Air India struggle harder with the West Asia war disruptions—signals a shift in momentum after the Air India group had emerged ahead of IndiGo in international passenger traffic for calendar year 2025.
The Air India group includes Air India and its budget carrier, Air India Express.
IndiGo had more departures in January and February as compared to the Air India group, but the Tata-backed carrier again took the lead in March.
Passenger edge
Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) data released end May showed that IndiGo operated 5,607 planes on international routes in April. This was 7%, or 385, departures more than the Air India group’s 5,222. IndiGo carried 0.87 million passengers, while the Air India and Air India Express together carried 0.85 million during the month.
The overseas gains underscore IndiGo's growing advantage across markets, with the airline also extending its lead in the domestic segment by raising its market share to 65% in April, while the Air India group's share fell to 24.7%
To be sure, Air India's international network is built around long-haul flights to North America, Europe and Australia, using wide-bodied aircraft. Air India Express focuses mainly on the Gulf routes. IndiGo, meanwhile, operates primarily short-haul international services and feeds traffic to partners such as Qatar Airways and Turkish Airlines, while serving Europe through damp-leased aircraft and long-range narrow-body jets.
“In March, Air India group benefited from a temporary reduction in IndiGo's Middle East operations,” said Jainam Shah, aviation analyst at Equirus Securities. “Although Air India Express also reduced certain Middle East operations, the impact on IndiGo was proportionately larger. As conditions stabilized during April, IndiGo restored capacity, regaining leadership.”
War Impact
The war in West Asia, which began end-February, has weighed heavily on India's aviation sector, especially the international operations of airlines. Airspace restrictions, weaker demand on certain Gulf routes and higher operating costs forced airlines to trim their international schedules.
Indian carriers flew less on international routes in March and in April from a year ago. Air India, Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet saw their total departures fall 37% to 11,508, as against 18,323, a year earlier.
IndiGo's international departures were down about 30% from a year earlier, but the airline has weathered the disruption better than the Air India group, whose international operations shrunk by about 43% in the same period.
“IndiGo's international platform today is substantially larger and more diversified than it was a year ago,” Shah said.
IndiGo, Air India and Air India Express did not respond to Mint's queries on the issue.
The performance marks a sharp reversal from 2025, when Air India held a lead over IndiGo in international traffic. The Tata Group airline had 104,480 international departures compared to IndiGo's 100,130, according to DGCA data. Air India flew 17.21 million people during the year versus 16.46 million by IndiGo.
For July-September, however, IndiGo flew more passengers than Air India despite servicing fewer planes on international routes. It flew 4.14 million passengers with 25,640 departures, as against Air India’s 4.09 million from 25,793 departures.
Much of the latest shift reflects the disproportionate impact of the West Asia conflict and airspace restrictions on Air India's long-haul network.
The airline, which is expected to report nearly $3 billion (over ₹26,000 crore approximately) losses for FY26, has had to contend with elevated jet fuel prices resulting from West Asia war disruptions, with the impact deeper than Indigo, as it has significantly more long-haul flights, including those to North America and Europe. For these routes, it has to bypass the Pakistan airspace due to the prolonged closure. The longer routes have translated into higher operating costs, pegged at ₹4,000-5,000 crore. In addition, disruptions in West Asia affected demand and capacity deployment.
Air India flew 23% fewer planes in April over last year, and Air India Express that has a strong Gulf connectivity, slashed international departures by 68%.
In comparison, IndiGo reported a loss of ₹2,394 crore in FY26, but its international network remained relatively stable during April. The airline had suspended operations on certain Central Asian routes, including Almaty, Baku, Tashkent and Tbilisi, in January; and discontinued flights to Copenhagen in February, before the Gulf war hit. Beyond those adjustments, however, the carrier largely maintained its international schedule through the month.
The next phase of IndiGo's network rationalization is expected only later in the year, with temporary suspension of flights to Manchester.
“... as we enter a seasonally softer demand environment from mid-June onwards, combined with elevated fuel prices, we are adopting a measured approach to optimize capacity,” Gaurav Negi, chief financial officer of IndiGo had said during the post results investor call held on 29 May. “As a part of this, selective recalibration of certain routes is warranted to protect margins.”
In a statement late Thursday, IndiGo said it will “temporarily suspend” operations to Asian international destinations, including Langkawi, Krabi, Ho Chi Minh, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Siem Reap from July to September. The suspensions were due to “traditionally softer demand in the upcoming quarter” and “an incredibly challenging cost environment,” it said.
Equirus’s Shah, however, believes IndiGo is well-positioned to retain leadership in the international aviation market.
“IndiGo's sustained international expansion, strong presence in high-volume corridors and management's target to increase international ASKs (available seat kilometres, a measure of the total passenger carrying capacity) from 28% currently to 40% by FY30 suggest that it remains well-positioned to retain leadership,” he said.