IndiGo plans to leave more than a quarter of the seats on its Airbus A321XLR unsold when it begins operating between Mumbai and Amsterdam later this month. The move is designed to reduce weight on what is expected to become the world’s longest scheduled A321XLR service.
The airline is replacing its leased Boeing 787-9 on the route from October 25 as its agreement with Norse Atlantic comes to an end. Although IndiGo’s A321XLR has 195 seats, fewer than 140 are expected to be available for booking on flights from Mumbai to Amsterdam.
Limiting passenger and baggage loads helps reduce the aircraft’s weight on the demanding long-haul journey. IndiGo has scheduled up to 11 hours for the flight, partly because the aircraft must avoid Russian, Iranian and Ukrainian airspace, resulting in a longer routing to Europe.
IndiGo originally planned to operate the A321XLR on the Amsterdam route daily but has now reduced the schedule to three flights per week. The arrangement is expected to be temporary, with the airline planning to receive its own Airbus A350-900s from 2027.
The service will see passengers spending up to 11 hours aboard a single-aisle aircraft without seatback entertainment, while a significant number of available seats remain empty to support the nonstop operation.