IndiGo has emerged as India’s largest international airline in terms of air traffic amid a flights crisis that’s scuppered its domestic operations.
The airline operated by InterGlobe Aviation Ltd. carried 41.36 lakh passengers to and from India in July-September 2025, according to data on the website of the Directorate General of Civil Aviation. In comparision, Air India and Air India Express together had an international traffic of 40.99 lakh.
The rankings have flipped since Air India has reduced number of international flights following a plane crash in June killed all but one passengers on board. That created a gap, which IndiGo quickly filled in by increasing flights on key international routes.
On 12 June, Air India’s AI 171 flight from Ahmedabad to London crashed soon after takeoff, claiming 260 lives, including 229 passengers, 12 crew members, and 19 people on the ground. The crash is one of the deadliest aviation accidents in India in recent history.
The DGCA data on international operations comes amid a flight crisis at IndiGo that nearly grounded its domestic operations.
India’s largest airline by passengers carried cancelled thousands of flights in the first week of December due to a pilot shortage triggered by DGCA’s new rules that sought to give pilots enough rest between flights.
Despite having a significant preparatory window since January 2024 to adhere to the so-called Flight Duty Time Limitation rules, IndiGo failed to hire enough pilots or adjust its schedules adequately to comply with the new norms.
At the peak of the disruptions on 5 December, IndiGo cancelled 1,588 domestic flights, about 79% of its domestic schedule. The same day, only 35 international flights—11% of the overseas schedule—were cancelled.
The airline operates on a lean staffing model with minimal crew buffers, making it highly vulnerable to operational disruptions.