Route Round-Up: IndiGo Expands East, Air India Express Grows West, SpiceJet Adds Festival Links

• IndiGo adds new routes to Guangzhou, Hanoi, and Singapore, expanding India’s air links with East and Southeast Asia.
• Air India Express launches three Gulf routes from Bengaluru to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Kuwait—strengthening its southern hub.
• SpiceJet focuses on Ayodhya, Port Blair, and Udaipur, adding festival and winter flights ahead of the peak travel season.

A flurry of route announcements throughout the week indicated how carriers are preparing for the winter travel season.

IndiGo unveiled new routes to China, Vietnam, and Singapore; Air India Express expanded its Gulf network from Bengaluru; and SpiceJet extended domestic connections to Ayodhya and key leisure destinations—collectively marking one of the busiest weeks of network activity so far this season.

IndiGo: Expanding East — China, Vietnam, Singapore

IndiGo announced three new international routes, consolidating its position as India’s largest overseas operator by destinations.

From 10 November 2025, the airline will begin daily non-stop flights between Delhi and Guangzhou, operated by its Airbus A320 aircraft. This will be IndiGo’s second link to mainland China after Kolkata–Guangzhou, which restarts on 26 October.

“The resumption of operations between two of the world’s most populous nations presents immense potential for cultural exchange and economic collaboration,” said Vinay Malhotra, Head of Global Sales at IndiGo. “With this launch, IndiGo connects China to its vast domestic and growing international network via Guangzhou. We are confident this will accelerate opportunities in trade, investment, tourism, and education.”

The schedule, filed with authorities, shows a 21:45 departure from Delhi and arrival at Guangzhou at 04:50 local time, with the return leaving at 05:50 and reaching Delhi at 10:10, enabling same-day connections across IndiGo’s domestic network.

A month later, from 20 December 2025, IndiGo will open daily Delhi–Hanoi flights — its second gateway into Vietnam after Kolkata. The A320 service will depart Delhi at 07:25 and arrive in Hanoi at 13:00, with return departures from Hanoi at 18:00, arriving in Delhi at 21:25.

“Vietnam has emerged as one of the fastest-growing travel and business destinations for Indians,” Malhotra added. “Our new daily from Delhi will further strengthen tourism and economic ties between the two countries.”

Completing the trio of announcements, IndiGo will introduce direct Vijayawada–Singapore flights from 15 November 2025, marking the first-ever non-stop service between Andhra Pradesh and Singapore. Operating three times a week (Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday), the A320 flight will depart Vijayawada at 10:05 and arrive in Singapore at 16:40, returning the next morning.

The airline described the route as a “significant milestone” in enhancing international connectivity from India’s regional hubs.

The launch will enable students, exporters, and leisure travellers from Andhra Pradesh to access one-stop connections across Southeast Asia and beyond via Changi Airport.

With these additions, IndiGo’s network now spans over 90 domestic and 40 international destinations, operating more than 2,200 daily flights. The routes also align with IndiGo’s broader winter schedule that increases frequencies on its new Manchester and London Heathrow routes from Mumbai and Delhi, deepening its long-haul presence alongside ASEAN and East Asia expansion.

Air India Express: Bengaluru Adds Jeddah, Riyadh, Kuwait

Tata Group’s Air India Express announced the launch of three new direct routes from Bengaluru to Jeddah, Riyadh, and Kuwait, starting from 26–27 October 2025. The expansion strengthens the airline’s Middle East network and positions Bengaluru as its largest southern hub.

Services to Jeddah will operate on Mondays, Thursdays, and Sundays, while Riyadh flights run on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, and Kuwait services on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays.

Fares start from ₹13,500 for Riyadh and ₹13,600 for Kuwait, with the Jeddah service priced from ₹19,500.

“These routes will benefit a wide range of travellers, including Indian expatriates, business professionals, and families visiting friends and relatives across Saudi Arabia and Kuwait,” the airline said in its release. “The direct service to Jeddah will also offer convenient connectivity for pilgrims travelling for Umrah from Bengaluru.”

Travellers from cities such as Hyderabad, Kochi, Kannur, Kozhikode, Mangaluru, and Thiruvananthapuram will be able to connect through Bengaluru to the new Gulf flights, expanding options for South India’s labour workforce and small-business travellers.

The airline currently operates more than 440 weekly flights from Bengaluru, serving 35 domestic and seven international destinations, and has scheduled further additions to Bangkok, Jodhpur, and Udaipur in the coming weeks.

SpiceJet: Festival and Winter Markets in Focus

SpiceJet joined the week’s expansion drive with tactical moves targeting seasonal and pilgrimage traffic.

The airline launched daily flights to Ayodhya from Delhi, Bengaluru, Ahmedabad, and Hyderabad from 8 October, coinciding with the festive period leading up to Diwali. The routes are designed to capture strong demand for travel to the newly developed Ram Temple region, where airport infrastructure has recently been upgraded to handle increased traffic.

Alongside its festival schedule, SpiceJet announced daily flights to Port Blair and Udaipur, beginning 6 November 2025, aimed at boosting leisure travel during the winter peak. Both routes are part of the carrier’s strategy to strengthen domestic point-to-point services and optimize fleet use.

The airline also added three Boeing 737 aircraft to its active fleet this week to support the additional capacity.

Why These Routes Matter

The route activity reflects three distinct strategies shaping India’s current aviation landscape.

For IndiGo, the expansion into East Asia—especially with direct China and Vietnam links—signifies confidence in outbound demand and trade recovery. The addition of Vijayawada–Singapore shows a broader trend of connecting tier-2 cities directly to global gateways, reducing dependence on metro transfers.

For Air India Express, the focus on South India to Gulf connectivity is a calculated step toward consolidating its core base. Bengaluru, traditionally dominated by IndiGo and Gulf carriers for westbound traffic, is now being positioned as a full-fledged AIX hub, with three non-stop Middle East destinations launched within a week.

For SpiceJet, the approach remains pragmatic—tapping into peak travel windows where demand is predictable and yields remain strong, rather than stretching into long-term network commitments.

Outlook

Together, the week’s developments mark one of the busiest rounds of announcements since the start of the winter schedule cycle. IndiGo continues to lead India’s outward expansion into East and Southeast Asia; Air India Express is consolidating its southern India–Gulf corridors; and SpiceJet is finding revenue resilience in domestic pilgrimage and leisure travel.

As Indian carriers enter the high-demand November–January window, these routes are expected to test not only capacity and load factors but also reliability and pricing discipline across key corridors. The pattern is unmistakable: India’s aviation map is becoming broader, more regional, and more globally connected—one new city pair at a time.

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