IndiGo was founded in 2006 by travel entrepreneur Rahul Bhatia's InterGlobe Enterprises and Rakesh Gangwal, a former US Airways executive. Flights began that August with a single Airbus A320. A year before that first flight, the young airline had already ordered 100 of them. It was a stunning bet for a startup. The name plays on flying 'in the blue.' IndiGo modeled itself on strict low-cost pioneers.
It chose one aircraft family, fast turnarounds at the gate, and hard-nosed punctuality. India's market was notorious for airline failures. Kingfisher, Jet Airways, and Go First all collapsed around it, while IndiGo kept growing and making money. It became India's largest airline by 2012 and listed on India's stock exchanges in 2015. Its orders kept breaking records, with 180 A320neos in 2011 and 250 more in 2015.
Then came 500 A320-family jets in 2023, the biggest single aircraft purchase in aviation history. IndiGo now holds over 60 percent of India's home market. It carries more than 100 million passengers a year to some 120 destinations. It is growing abroad with A321XLRs, leased Boeing 777s, and A350-900s ordered in 2024. Those jets are aimed at long routes as India becomes the world's third-largest aviation market.