IndiGo, the Indian low-cost carrier, has placed a historic order for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft – the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus.
The 500-aircraft deal eclipses Air-India’s recent purchase order of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing.
With this order, IndiGo becomes the world’s biggest A320 family customer, and has an order book of over 1,000 aircrafts.
Indigo orders 500 Airbus A320s
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, said: “It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft. An order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade enables IndiGo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India.
“At IndiGo, we take pride in being India’s preferred airline for connectivity in and with India; and by doing so, being one of the leading airlines in the world.
“This order strongly reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in the growth of India, in the A320 family and in our strategic partnership with Airbus.”
Combined with previous orders of 480 aircraft, IndiGo’s order-book now has almost a thousand aircrafts, the airline said. It expects a steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035.
Indigo, which is India’s largest airline by market share, currently operates over 300 aircraft. The New Delhi-headquartered airline is among the fastest-growing carriers in the world.
A statement from IndiGo added: “This new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented depth and breadth. With this new order, since its inception in 2006, IndiGo has ordered a massive total of 1,330 aircraft with Airbus.”
Engine selection and the exact mix of A320 and A321 aircraft will be done in due course.
Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus, added: “This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market.
“It is also a resounding endorsement of the A320 family’s best-in-class operating economics that have been powering IndiGo’s growth for almost two decades. We cherish our long-standing relationship with IndiGo and are proud of our success together.”
The historic agreement was signed by Rahul Bhatia, Promoter and Managing Director of IndiGo; Dr Venkataramani Sumantran, Chairman and Non-Executive Independent Director of IndiGo; Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo; Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, and Scherer at the Paris Air Show 2023.
The fuel-efficient A320NEO family aircraft will allow IndiGo to maintain its strong focus on lowering operating costs and delivering fuel efficiency with high standards of reliability.
Over the past two decades, the A320neo has played a key role in democratising air travel in India. The A320 family is the undisputed leader in the single-aisle aircraft category – it has the widest single-aisle cabin and incorporates the latest technologies such as enhanced aerodynamics and the latest-generation jet engines, which result in significant reductions in fuel consumption and lower emissions.
The airline operates more than 1,800 daily flights and connects 78 domestic destinations and plans to further grow its international footprint to 32 international destinations.
It connects Dubai and Abu Dhabi to multiple Indian cities.
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