IndiGo has, for the first time, flown more international passengers than Air India and Air India Express combined in the July–September 2025 quarter, according
to data from aviation regulator DGCA. The change follows Air India’s decision to scale back around 15% of its long-haul operations after the June 12 crash of flight AI 171 in Ahmedabad. The Boeing 787 Dreamliner accident, which killed 260 people, triggered a brief dip in passenger confidence, especially on routes operated with the same aircraft type. As per DGCA numbers cited by The Times of India, IndiGo carried 41.36 lakh international passengers during the quarter. The combined tally for Air India and Air India Express stood at around 41 lakh. Air India’s temporary cut in wide-body flights and hesitation among travellers to fly the 787s played a role in the shift. Also Read - IndiGo–Air India Duopoly: When Two Airlines Rule 86% Of the Skies — Flyers Pay the Price The data also offers insight into IndiGo’s performance during the recent disruption earlier this month. Between December 1 and 9, the airline cancelled 2.4% of its 2,702 international flights. In the same period, close to a quarter of its domestic flights were withdrawn. The regulator is now looking into how IndiGo managed to keep its international network largely unaffected while domestic operations took a hit. IndiGo has overtaken Air India in international traffic earlier as well. After Jet Airways shut down in April 2019, IndiGo emerged as the country’s largest overseas carrier. Before that, Jet and Air India held the top two positions, followed by Air India Express, IndiGo and SpiceJet. More changes are likely in the coming quarters. Air India is preparing to pull out several older Boeing wide-body aircraft for refurbishment or return them to lessors, a move that will temporarily reduce long-haul capacity. Separately, the civil aviation ministry is finalising a mandatory cut of at least 10% in IndiGo’s flights over recent operational lapses. How this reduction will be split between domestic and international routes is yet to be clarified. For Air India, the Dreamliner crash marked its biggest setback in decades. In the weeks that followed the accident, many passengers avoided the airline, particularly on sectors operated with Boeing 787 aircraft.
