IndiGo Airlines’ CEO Pieter Elbers has decried what he describes as ‘unequal market access’ at European airports, noting Indian carriers face slot constraints at European hubs while European airlines freely serve multiple Indian airports.
Eight Indian airports, including Delhi and Mumbai, have direct Europe services, with Air India leading at 30pc capacity share, followed by Lufthansa (12.9pc) and IndiGo (12.2pc) for the week of 20 October 2025.
IndiGo secured Mumbai-Amsterdam slots by swapping with KLM and leased Heathrow slots from Virgin Atlantic to expand its European network.
Elbers criticised “grandfathering” of historic slots at congested European airports, arguing it disadvantages Indian carriers despite strong demand from Indian travellers.
IndiGo operates flights to Amsterdam, Copenhagen, Istanbul, and London Heathrow from its Delhi and Mumbai hubs.
Pieter Elbers shared, “I am not saying they should be restricted, but Indian operators should have at least a fair and balanced playing field because India is the market. Since Europeans have been flying for a long time, so they have all the slots, is not the way it should work.”
