Indian low-cost carrier IndiGo on Monday placed a firm order with Airbus for 500 A320 family aircraft, providing the European aircraft manufacturer with an auspicious start on the opening day of the Paris Airshow and setting the record for the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus. Deliveries will begin in 2030 and run through 2035.
The order consists of a combination of A320neo, A321neo, and A321XLR twinjets. “The exact mix is still open,” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers told AIN. Elbers stepped down as CEO of Dutch flag carrier KLM early last year and started his role as chief executive of the Indian low-cost carrier in September. The engine selection for the order remains undecided.
IndiGo operates a fleet of 264 Airbus aircraft—62 A320neos, 79 A321neos, 21 A320ceos, and two A321 freighters. It has placed previous orders totaling 480 aircraft, which are due to be delivered by the end of this decade. “The order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft will bring us well into the next decade and serve the needs of the Indian aviation market, which is one of the fastest-growing markets in the world," remarked Elbers. India is the world's fifth-largest economy by nominal GDP and projections call for it to become the third-largest by 2030. The country's strong economy, the changing demographics with rising demand for air travel, and the government’s support for expanding the aviation ecosystem and infrastructure underpin IndiGo’s confidence in its strategy and placing the new aircraft order, he explained. IndiGo started operations only 16 years ago and now operates on average 1,800 flights a day. It plans to carry 100 million passengers this year.
Airbus CEO Guillaume Faury expressed confidence the airframer will fulfill the order from 2030 onwards. “We will be at rate-75 [per month] at that time," he said. "We know we have challenges on the short-term ramp-up [of narrowbody production]. These are short-term,” he said. ‘In the meantime, our friends here [at IndiGo] remind us that the aircraft they have on order need to be delivered on time."
Separately, Airbus also announced that Saudi budget airline Flynas placed an order for 30 A320neo-family aircraft and that Air Mauritius confirmed an order for three A350s to expand its network in Europe and South Asia.