ixigo hits all-time high revenue and profit in Q3 despite flight disruptions
ADVERTISEMENT
Ixigo reported its strongest quarterly performance yet in the December quarter, with revenue, gross transaction value and profitability all hitting record highs, helped by sharp growth in flights and buses even as the aviation sector faced disruptions late in the quarter.
Le Travenues Technology, which operates the ixigo travel platform, said revenue from operations rose 31% year-on-year to ₹317.6 crore in Q3 FY26, while gross transaction value climbed 21% to ₹4,902.9 crore. Profit before tax more than doubled to ₹38.1 crore from ₹23.3 crore a year earlier, reflecting operating leverage and improved margins.
The company’s EBITDA jumped 61% year-on-year to ₹42.8 crore, while adjusted EBITDA stood at ₹30.8 crore, up 27%. Contribution margin increased 12% to ₹115.3 crore during the quarter.
Flights and buses emerged as the biggest growth drivers. Flight revenue surged 49% year-on-year to ₹102.4 crore, while bus revenue rose 47% to ₹75.6 crore. On the transaction value front, flight GTV grew 22%, bus GTV expanded 36%, and train GTV increased 15% compared with the same period last year. International flights were a key contributor, with GTV from overseas routes growing over 50% year-on-year, outpacing domestic travel growth.
The strong showing came despite industry-wide flight disruptions in early December, when weather and operational issues led to cancellations and delays across the sector. Ixigo said it saw a sharp spike in customer queries during this period, with flight-tracking usage increasing five-fold between December 3 and 8.
January 2026
Netflix, which has been in India for a decade, has successfully struck a balance between high-class premium content and pricing that attracts a range of customers. Find out how the U.S. streaming giant evolved in India, plus an exclusive interview with CEO Ted Sarandos. Also read about the Best Investments for 2026, and how rising growth and easing inflation will come in handy for finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman as she prepares Budget 2026.
“Our Q3 performance demonstrates our continued ability to outpace the market’s growth with improving profitability,” said Rajnish Kumar, group co-CEO, and Aloke Bajpai, group CEO, in a joint statement. “We will ultimately be judged by how we lead the industry’s AI transformation and translate that into customer delight with long-term growth and profitability.”
AI-led growth
The company leaned heavily on its AI-led customer support systems during the disruption. More than 76% of voice calls in the quarter were handled end-to-end by AI, rising to nearly 90% during the peak disruption period, with over 150,000 calls managed entirely by automated systems. Ixigo also said it proactively refunded full ticket amounts, convenience fees and ixigo Assured fees for impacted bookings.
“TARA, ixigo’s AI agent, guided customers proactively, reducing anxiety,” said the company.
Chief financial officer Saurabh Devendra Singh said the quarter underlined the company’s ability to differentiate itself during periods of stress. “Disruptions and challenging macro conditions allow us to leverage the advantages of our customer-first philosophy as a diversified multimodal platform,” he said. “Sustainable growth and profitability are outcomes of this approach.”
During the quarter, ixigo also rolled out new initiatives, including armed forces fares on select domestic flights, airport cab services in major cities, and QR-based metro ticketing in partnership with Mumbai Metro operators. Its train-booking platform ConfirmTkt was also integrated into the Rapido app, expanding its reach.