Budget carrier IndiGo has ordered 30 A350-900 jets from French jetmaker Airbus indicating its intent to expand its offerings to ultra-long haul flights with an eye on the US market. This is IndiGo’s first widebody jet order.
IndiGo orders Airbus widebody jets. (Photo credit: Getty Images)
New Delhi: Budget carrier IndiGo has seemingly decided to take the competition to Tata Group-owned air carrier Air India with an order for 30 Airbus A350 jets, widebody aircraft that are suited for long-haul flights. IndiGo currently boasts of 60 per cent domestic market share in India. The new jet order clarifies that the budget carrier has now set its sights on a share of the US travel market pie.
IndiGo Airbus order
IndiGo has already placed the largest order for jets with 500 aircraft ordered from French jetmaker Airbus. Now, the airline has placed an order for 30 A350-900 jets. It has also ordered another 70 A350 jets from Airbus.
These jets are suited to ultra-long haul flights such as the ones to the US. Air India and Vistara are currently exclusively operating in this sector. To be sure, Air India has rights to US airports as a result of being the former flag carrier for India.
IndiGo inked has codeshare connections to the US via Istanbul, Turkey. The airline has also partnered American Airlines. As part of the Turkish Airlines agreement, IndiGo started flying a Boeing 777 wide-body jet to Istanbul.
Confirming the order, IndiGo said the jets will enable the airline to connect to the world from the various Indian metros. These jets will be powered by the Rolls Royce Trent XWB engine, according to the airline.
“Its [IndiGo’s] fleet of 30 Airbus A350-900 aircraft will allow IndiGo to embark on its next phase of becoming one of the leading global aviation players,” said IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers.
