IndiGo Places Firm Order For 500 Planes With Airbus In Largest-Ever Aircraft Purchase Deal

IndiGo has announced placing an order to buy 500 planes with Airbus in a multi-billion dollar, which is the largest-ever aircraft purchase order by an airline.

IndiGo places largest-ever aircraft purchase order by an airline.

Source : PTI

With an ambition to embark on a long-term growth path, IndiGo has announced placing an order to purchase 500 narrow-body planes from Airbus, reported PTI. The mutli-billion dollar deal is said to be one of the largest-ever aircraft purchases by an airline. This comes five months after Air India placed orders for 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing, the news agency further said. 

The purchase order by IndiGo is the largest-ever aircraft order placed by any airline with Airbus. However, the financial details of the order were not disclosed. 

Notably, the agreement to buy the aircraft was signed between the airline and Airbus at the Paris Air Show 2023.  According to a release by the airline, stated PTI, the latest order will provide IndiGo a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035. 

PTI said that IndiGo at present operates more than 300 aircraft and it has previous orders of 480 aircraft, which are yet to be delivered. 

The report added that the present IndiGo order book includes a mix of A320NEO, A321NEO and A321XLR aircraft. 

Calling the announcement a historic moment for Indian aviation, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said the deal speaks of the future of India and IndiGo. 

"IndiGo is further defining its long-term future, well into the next decade, by placing a firm order for 500 Airbus A320 Family aircraft. This will provide IndiGo a further steady stream of deliveries between 2030 and 2035," the airline said, as quoted by PTI. 

The release further added that the evaluation of the offers was shared and discussed with its board, and consequently endorsed.  It said that this new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented depth and breadth. 

"We look forward to contributing to the growth of India's air connectivity in its domestic network and into international markets through the expansion of this formidable partnership," Christian Scherer, Chief Commercial Officer and Head of International at Airbus, said in a separate release, reported PTI. 

"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," Elbers said, as quoted by PTI. 

Since its inception in 2006, IndiGo has so far ordered a massive total of 1,330 aircraft with Airbus.  With this additional firm order of 500 aircraft for 2030-2035, IndiGo's order book has almost 1,000 aircraft that are yet to be delivered into the next decade, the airline said.