IndiGo (6E), India’s largest carrier, is set to operate new domestic winter routes commencing October 2025. This is set to link India’s lesser-served tier-2 and tier-3 cities such as Jaipur, Imphal and Jaisalmer to India’s favorite budget carrier – IndiGo’- s broader network.
Timeline and Investigation: How Indigo Became India’s Largest Airline? – Avio Space
The routes will include daily direct flights between Jaipur International Airport (JAI) in Rajasthan and Guwahati Lokpriya Gopinath Bordoloi International Airport (GAU) in Guwahati. The carrier’s daily services will connect Jaipur and Imphal International Airport (IMF) via Guwahati, while it will have seasonal daily flights between Kempegowda International Airport (BLR) in Bengaluru and Jaisalmer (Jaisalmer Airport, JSA), in addition toa few more networks.
IndiGo’s new route details and schedule
IndiGo’s new winter schedule will commence from October 26 (for certain sectors), while for other routes, the date is set for two days later. The announcement of new routes will also augment Varanasi’s network with flights to Durgapur (Kazi Nazrul Islam Airport, DGP) and Bhubaneswar (Biju Patnaik International Airport, BBI). Here are the flight schedules, as posted in The Economic Times:
IndiGo Winter Routes (Effective October 26, 2025)
| Sector | Flight No. | Days of Operation | Departure | Arrival | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru–Jaisalmer | 6E 6837 | Daily | 13:05 | 16:00 | Seasonal addition |
| Jaisalmer–Bengaluru | 6E 6838 | Daily | 16:35 | 19:20 | Seasonal addition |
| Jaipur–Guwahati | 6E 0748 | Daily | 06:40 | 09:10 | — |
| Guwahati–Jaipur | 6E 0749 | Daily | 18:05 | 21:05 | — |
| Jaipur–Imphal | 6E 0748 | Daily | 06:40 | 11:25 | Layover at Guwahati |
| Imphal–Jaipur | 6E 0749 | Daily | 15:50 | 21:05 | Layover at Guwahati |
IndiGo Winter Routes (Effective October 28, 2025)
| Sector | Flight No. | Days of Operation | Departure | Arrival | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Durgapur–Varanasi | 6E 7504 | Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday | 13:25 | 15:05 | — |
| Varanasi–Durgapur | 6E 7505 | Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday | 15:25 | 17:10 | — |
| Bhubaneswar–Varanasi | 6E 7504 | Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday | 11:30 | 15:00 | Layover at Durgapur |
| Varanasi–Bhubaneswar | 6E 7505 | Tuesday, Thursday & Saturday | 15:25 | 19:00 | Layover at Durgapur |
Strategic Rationale for IndiGo’s Expansion
From a strategic vantage, IndiGo’s push into tier-2 and tier-3 cities serves multiple objectives: the first of them being tapping into markets that remain underserved by air travel, and the second being strengthening feeder traffic into broader network flows. Vinay Malhotra, Head of Sales at IndiGo, expressed a similar sentiment in The Economic Times:
“We are glad to be introducing these new routes in line with our commitment to further enhance domestic connectivity across tier-2 and tier-3 cities in the country. With these new flights, IndiGo is connecting these cities to our vast domestic and international network, opening new avenues for trade, tourism and cultural exchange.”
Malhatotra’s words mirror the IndiGo’s objective of integrating smaller cities into its network.
Recent Comparable Expansions by IndiGo
| IndiGo’s expansion / Announcement | Reference & Key Details | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Mumbai ↔ Denpasar (Bali), Indonesia | IndiGo launches second daily flight to Indonesia, now from Mumbai |
|
| Operations from Hindon Airport to 9 cities | In July this year, it was announced that IndiGo would serve domestic routes from Hindon Airport to:
|
|
| Bikaner route (Delhi ↔ Bikaner) | The move expanded IndiGo’s reach to five destinations in Rajasthan as it already operated to:
|
The move marked IndiGo’s 90th domestic destination in its network. |
These precedents illustrate that while the incentive to expand is strong, sustaining demand and operational viability can be challenging, especially in low population or low yield markets.
Which Aircraft is Indigo Using on IndiGo’s new routes
IndiGo is headquartered in Gurugram, Haryana, and as of 2025 it has the largest fleet in India. China, the country that neighbors the nation where IndiGo is based, recently announced that it might purchase around 500 aircraft of the Boeing family, whose planes start and end with the number 7. IndiGo has made such historic purchases in the past, but they have preferred the aircraft manufacturer whose planes start with the letter A and the number 3.
| Attribute | Data |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2006 |
| Headquarters | Gurugram, India |
| Primary hub | Indira Gandhi International (DEL) |
| Fleet size (approx.) | 402 aircraft |
| Domestic market share | ~50–55% (varies) |
IndiGo Fleet Overview
| Aircraft Type | In Service | Parked | Current Total | Future Orders | Historic | Avg. Age | Grand Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATR 42 / 72 | 46 | 1 | 47 | – | 3 | 5.0 Years | 50 |
| Airbus A320 | 165 | 32 | 197 | 8 | 191 | 5.9 Years | 396 |
| Airbus A321 | 136 | 18 | 154 | 22 | 6 | 2.9 Years | 182 |
| Boeing 737 | – | – | – | – | 16 | – | 16 |
| Boeing 777 | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | 17.5 Years | 2 |
| Boeing 787 Dreamliner | 2 | – | 2 | – | – | 7.8 Years | 2 |
| Total | 351 | 51 | 402 | 30 | 216 | 4.7 Years | 648 |
Data: planespotters.net
IndiGo’s flights between Bengaluru–Jaisalmer will be operated on the Airbus A320. Indigo is a budget carrier, meaning that all passengers will have the same access to the services. IndiGo’s Airbus A320 have an average age of 4.9 years. Let’s have a look at the cabin layout of IndiGo’s A320s:
Comparison of IndiGo Airbus A320 Cabin Layouts
| Feature | A320ceo | A320neo (Type 1) | A320neo (Type 2) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Total Seats | 180 | 186 | 180 |
| Seat Model | Safran Z85 | Safran Z85 | Safran Z85 |
| Seat Layout | 3-3 | 3-3 | 3-3 |
| Row Pitch | Rows 2–11: 29″ Rows 12–13: 35″ Rows 14–30: 28″ |
Rows 2–11: 29″ Rows 12–13: 35″ Rows 14–31: 28″ |
Rows 2–11: 29″ Rows 12–13: 35″ Rows 14–30: 28″ |
| Seat Width | 18″ | 18″ | 18″ |
| Connectivity | No Wi-Fi | No Wi-Fi | No Wi-Fi |
Reference: aerolopa