Budget carrier IndiGo on Monday announced a firm order of 500 Airbus A320 family of narrowbody aircraft, the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline in the world.
The aircraft will be delivered between 2030 and 2035. The airline did not specify the exact mix of A320 and A321 aircraft that comprise the A320 family but said that the order book consists of A320 New Engine Options (NEO), A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft.
The cost of the order was not disclosed.
The airline already has more than 300 aircraft in its fleet, and another 480 aircraft on order that are yet to be delivered. This means that it has total expected deliveries of 980 aircraft.
The airline’s CEO, Pieter Elbers, said in response to a question from The Hindu during a virtual press interaction from Toulouse where the deal was signed at the ongoing Paris Air Show, “IndiGo plans to double in size by the end of 2030 by inducting the 480 aircraft it expects to be delivered from the previous order.”
Monday’s order also surpasses Air India’s order in February of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing.
IndiGo is the market leader in Indian aviation both in terms of market share (61.4%) as well as fleet size, and aims to clock 100 million passengers by the end of this year.
“This is a historic order. IndiGo now has nearly 1,000 aircraft on order, which no other airline in the world has. Along with Air India’s order of 470 planes, Indian aviation is set for a stable, and long-term growth,” CAPA India CEO & Director Kapil Kaul told The Hindu.
