- IndiGo will equip its first Airbus A350s and future A321XLRs with fully flat business-class beds
- The airline expects to receive its first A350 in the second quarter of 2028
- The first 10 aircraft will each have 16 business-class beds
- The 333-seat A350 layout will include 28 premium-economy seats and 289 economy seats
- IndiGo began operating the A321XLR between Mumbai and Amsterdam in late October
IndiGo has confirmed that it will equip its first Airbus A350s and future A321XLRs with fully flat business-class beds. Chief Executive Willie Walsh revealed the plan on 2 November. The Indian low-cost carrier expects to receive its first A350 in the second quarter of 2028. The first 10 aircraft will each have 16 business-class beds, a layout Walsh described as already fixed.
The 333-seat A350 layout will include 28 premium-economy seats and 289 economy seats alongside the 16 beds. IndiGo has ordered 60 A350s, and Walsh said the airline was considering more business-class seats on later deliveries. Discussing future A321XLR deliveries, Walsh said the airline will have flatbeds in the XLR. IndiGo’s current XLRs have reclining Stretch seats.
IndiGo began operating the A321XLR between Mumbai and Amsterdam in late October, scheduling roughly 11 hours for the outbound journey. Business class passengers spend the journey in Stretch recliners. Walsh said the Amsterdam service would help preserve IndiGo’s slots at Schiphol until the A350 arrives. The airline’s consolidated loss in the September quarter narrowed to 18.79bn rupees from 25.82bn a year earlier, while fuel expenses rose 67.2pc over the same period.
Willie Walsh shared “That’s what the customer expects today. We will have flatbeds in the XLR.”
