Is This the End of Layovers? India’s Airlines Are Making Direct Flights the New Normal

Ditching the detour, Indian carriers are increasingly flying direct to international destinations. Gone are the days when state-run Air India with an ageing restricted fleet was the lone option, while Gulf and Southeast Asian carriers thrived on Indian transit passengers through their national hubs to all continents.

Now with IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa Air cutting through to London, Frankfurt, Bali, China and beyond, travellers are skipping hubs. The payoff? No transit visas, no airport limbo, 4 to 6 hours saved, lower fares, less stress- just point-to-point precision. India’s skies aren’t just opening up-they’re rerouting the game. In effect, Indian airlines are scaling up with one-stop global itineraries-priced, serviced, and branded on their terms.

Sanjay Kumar a seasoned senior aviation professional with major stints in IndiGo who recently joined as Executive Director with SpiceJet told The Core: “Before the Air India merger and after Jet Airways’ collapse, India had little chance to compete in the international long-haul market. Privatisation brought fresh fleet leases, and Air India now post pandemic, flies direct to the US and Canada.” Air India recently announced it will restart direct flights between New Delhi and Tel Aviv from January 1, 2026.

Transit traffic has remained a key revenue stream for Dubai and Emirates, especially from India to Europe and North America. However, Dubai’s transit dominance is set to erode. According to Dubai Airports, in 2023, of 11.9 million Indian passengers, over 5 million transited via Dubai; by end-2025, of the projected 6 million, only 2.5 million are expected to transit. The case is similar for Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.

“International Airlines (including Gulf carriers) are already feeling the pressure by either reducing fares or increasing capacity. This is new animal so far Indian carriers are concerned,” said Kumar.

Sky Surge: Expanding Global Reach

India’s international aviation footprint has surged in 2025, with Air India, IndiGo, Akasa Air, and Air India Express collectively launching over 25 new direct routes and frequency increases from key metros and tier-2 cities.

As Indian carriers induct wide-body aircraft and expand direct international routes, they are redrawing the global route map. Air India debuted Delhi–Manila and boosted Bangkok frequencies. IndiGo ramped up its international push with 10+ new direct routes, entering long-haul markets and boosting Asian connectivity. From Mumbai, it launched flights to London Heathrow, Manchester, Amsterdam, Copenhagen, and Athens; Delhi added Manchester and Bali. New links to Siem Reap, Hanoi, and Guangzhou from Delhi and Kolkata tapped rising demand.

With 2,300+ daily flights and 420+ aircraft, IndiGo is primed for global scale, backed by upcoming A321XLRs, A350s, and its new “Indigo Stretch” business class. Its long-haul ambitions are currently powered by six leased Norse Atlantic Boeing 787s offering range and signalling an signal intent towards transcontinental relevance.

“As long as traffic rights (give us) room to operate, we will fill the gaps,” said Pieter Elbers, CEO IndiGo. Elbers, no novice, who recognizes IndiGo, though a household name in India, needs recognition beyond the Indian diaspora. Hence, the airline is receiving one aircraft every week. By 2027, when 60 Airbus A350 wide bodies start to arrive, the carrier is likely to become even more aggressive.

Meanwhile Akasa Air CEO Vinay Dube confirmed the airline’s growing ambition at a recent aviation conference, announcing inaugural flights to Doha, Riyadh, and Jeddah-gesturing a Gulf-focused strategy. Akasa holds firm orders for 226 Boeing 737 MAX aircraft. Dube emphasized this fleet strategy aligns with the airline’s focus on short- and medium-haul growth, including deeper international penetration across Asia, the Middle East, and Africa.

Air India Express expanded its low-cost reach with new links to Colombo, Kuala Lumpur, and Bahrain. These launches unlocked faster access to Southeast Asia, Europe, and the Middle East with routes that previously required layovers.

Grounded by Agreements- Fleet Growth Outruns Flight Rights

Air Service Agreements (ASAs)-bilateral treaties that cap flights, seats, and destinations-are increasingly outpaced by demand and fleet growth. Gulf carriers like Emirates, Qatar Airways, and Etihad dominate long-haul traffic via their hubs, while Indian airlines push for expanded rights to compete and capture direct flows.

Indian carriers face limited entitlements in key Gulf hubs, with only pockets like Jordan and Abu Dhabi offering residual rights. “Daman has a glut of capacity, not very remunerative for Indian carriers,” said Aloke Singh, CEO Air India Express told The Core. The airline will, starting Dec 2, operate 4 weekly flights frond Delhi and three weeklies to Abu Dhabi.

As Abu Dhabi continues to funnel passengers to underserved African destinations like Zanzibar, Addis Ababa, Nairobi, Casablanca, Lagos, Cairo, and Cape Town, Dube confirmed Akasa Air is targeting medium-haul growth to Kenya, Ethiopia, Egypt, and Mauritius, leveraging its 30-strong Boeing 737 MAX fleet to raise its international ASK share from 20% to 30% by March 2027. New services to Sharjah are expected soon, with further expansion into Central Asia (Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan) under evaluation, an underserved region compared to the Gulf, Southeast Asia, or Europe.

India-South Africa’s air pact allows 28 weekly flights each way, yet none are currently active. South African Airways plans to resume Mumbai-Johannesburg in 2026 and add two more destinations. Competition could intensify with IndiGo’s upcoming A350s that may unlock direct service to Cape Town, The Core has learnt but could not confirm.

India’s cautious stance on Gulf liberalization contrasts with its openness to Thailand. Indian airlines are expanding to Chiang Mai and Krabi, while Thai carriers enter tier-2 hubs like Lucknow and Ahmedabad. Yet, Delhi and Mumbai face mounting congestion, slot scarcity, and ATC strain, stalling growth despite aggressive fleet expansion.

SpiceJet’s expansion is bold but bounded. Its first wet-leased Airbus A340 is flying to Phuket from both Delhi and Mumbai, marking its first wide-body international operations. The airline is in advanced talks for a second A340, signalling intent to expand long-haul capability.

India’s Open Skies (that let airlines fly freely between countries without government limits on routes or pricing) with the US and Canada now favor homegrown expansion. As some North American carriers like Delta draw back, Air India and IndiGo are stepping up, armed with rights to serve Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver, Edmonton, and two more cities. Air India brings heritage and non-stop reach; IndiGo adds scale and fresh fleet muscle. While Gulf and European carriers filled the gap in the past, the next wave of transcontinental connectivity will be homegrown.

The UK–India ASA is periodically renegotiated, though Open Skies would require slot liberalisation, especially on the UK side. Fortunately for IndiGo, its Heathrow entry (via wet lease) is a workaround that doesn’t require new bilateral entitlements. IndiGo entered into a slot-sharing agreement with Virgin Atlantic, allowing it to operate flights at Heathrow despite being a new entrant. This enabled daily non-stop flights from Mumbai to Heathrow using leased Boeing 787-9s from Norse Atlantic Airways. “Passengers are now likely to see competition for US and UK between two Indian carriers,” added Kumar.

Disrupting Legacy Hubs

Air India and IndiGo’s rise on direct Europe routes is rattling legacy carriers like Lufthansa, British Airways, and Air France. The shift trims travel time, compresses fares, and delivers culturally attuned service, forcing European carriers to localize, codeshare, or rethink their positioning.

The skies between India and Europe becoming more competitive, more direct, and more Indian. Legacy European carriers won’t vanish, but they will lose significant market share on India–Europe routes by 2027. IndiGo alone could capture 10–15% of long-haul India–Europe traffic by then, reshaping fare structures and passenger loyalty.

Beyond the Big Hubs: Codeshares Power India’s Europe Play

While Air India and IndiGo now operate non-stop flights to key European cities, their real leverage comes from codeshare deals that extend reach far beyond gateway hubs. IndiGo’s partnerships with Turkish Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways, and Aegean open Prague, Boston, Athens, Santorini, and Eastern Europe and the Balkans.

Air India’s expanded alliance with the Lufthansa Group unlocks 26 secondary European destinations-Stuttgart, Geneva, Bilbao-without Gulf detours, while its United tie-up deepens U.S. access.

Air India Express strengthens Air India’s long-haul strategy by feeding metro hubs, freeing up widebody capacity, and expanding budget connectivity through virtual interline tie-ups. Its narrowbody fleet (A320s, B737s, MAXs) is interchangeable between Air India and Air India Express, allowing Tata Group to flex capacity based on demand.

AI Express has stitched virtual interline deals with foreign low-cost carriers (e.g., Scoot, VietJet, Air Arabia), enabling budget-conscious travelers to book self-connected itineraries from India to Australia, Southeast Asia, and Africa.

“Loyalty programs are aimed at business segments that want flexibility in timings and optimisation. However, we will eventually plug into AI Maharaja Loyalty program (as younger customers get more aware),” said Singh.

These arrangements streamline journeys and offer culturally familiar service all while sidestepping Gulf stopovers. For Indian carriers, it’s global scale expansion and for legacy partners, it’s a trade-off: added traffic, but at the cost of ceding long-haul control.

Local Headwinds

India’s aviation market is vast but unforgiving. High fuel taxes, currency volatility, and lease-heavy fleets drive up costs. Congested airports and ATC overload throttle growth. Regulatory red tape and protectionist bilateral policies limit strategic flexibility. Secondary airports lack readiness, and low yields on international routes make profitability elusive.

IndiGo’s global ambitions are bold but fraught with strategic tension. As it straddles low-cost roots and premium aspirations, brand coherence risks dilution. Widebody leases, hot meals, and international expansion signal a shift, but fleet diversification adds complexity. Bilateral bottlenecks, fuel costs, and currency swings threaten margins. At home, Air India’s reboot and Akasa’s rise demand vigilance. IndiGo thrives on domestic simplicity, but global markets demand premium depth. The brand is steadily evolving with purpose-efficient, ambitious, and steadily aligning with the hybrid playbook it’s set to master.

Author:   Neelam Mathews

IndiGo, Air India, and Akasa now fly direct to London, Frankfurt, and Bali — faster trips, lower fares, smarter skies.

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