'Largest-ever purchase': IndiGo beats Air India, takes giant leap in aviation sector, orders 500 Airbus aircraft

IndiGo said the deal will provide the airline with a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035. This 500 aircraft order is not only IndiGo’s largest order but also the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus.

New Delhi: In a record deal in aviation history, low cost-carrier IndiGo has placed an order of 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft to strengthen its network in India and abroad. In an official statement on Monday, IndiGo said the deal will provide the airline with a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035.

Largest-ever-This 500 aircraft order is not only IndiGo’s largest order but also the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus. The engine selection for this order will be done in due course and so will be the exact mix of A320 and A321 aircraft.

The purchase agreement was signed on Monday at the Paris Air Show 2023 in the presence of V. Sumantran, Chairman of the Board of IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, Guillaume Faury, CEO of Airbus, and Christian Scherer, Airbus’ Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International.

Deal-“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 1000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfill 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," Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo said.

1000 aircraft order book-IndiGo operates over 300 aircraft and has previous orders totalling 480 aircraft. "With this additional order of 500 aircraft for 2030-2035, IndiGo’s order book has almost 1000 aircraft yet to be delivered well into the next decade. This IndiGo order-book comprises a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft," the statement added.

"The evaluation of the offers was shared and discussed with IndiGo’s Board, and consequently endorsed. 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 1330 aircraft with Airbus," it added.

With its fleet of over 300 aircraft, IndiGo is operating well over 1800 daily flights and connecting 78 domestic destinations and will soon further grow its international footprint to 32 international destinations. Earlier in February, Air India placed order for 250 aircrafts - comprising 210 A320/321 Neo/XLR and 40 A350-900/1000 planes.