IndiGo has placed its first-ever widebody order for up to 100 Airbus A350s, including 30 firm orders with options for an additional 70 aircraft.
The first of these A350-900s is expected to arrive in 2027. All these aircraft will be fitted with Rolls Royce’s Trent XWB engines.
The deal is worth more than $9 billion in list price, even though airlines typically receive steep discounts for such large orders. According to IndiGo, the exact configuration of the aircraft will be decided at a later stage.
“Today’s historic moment marks a new chapter for IndiGo and will further shape the future of the airline and for Indian aviation at the same time. For IndiGo, after successfully pioneering the Indian skies with an unprecedented journey, its 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.
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo
IndiGo’s Fleet
Currently, the Indian low-cost carrier operates over 360 aircraft. Last year, in June 2023, IndiGo placed the largest-ever single aircraft order by any airline for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft at the Paris Air Show.
With that, IndiGo’s outstanding order book of A320 family aircraft stands at almost 1,000 aircraft which are yet to be delivered well into the next decade. IndiGo’s A320 family order-book comprises a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.
IndiGo currently has a 60% share in India’s domestic aviation market and this order comes at a time when it aims to double its capacity by the end of the decade and expand its international network.
In 2023, the LCC welcomed 100 million customers onboard its flights. IndiGo is amongst the fastest-growing airlines in the world, and this latest wide-body order will allow it to mainly strengthen its international growth.
Fastest Growing Aviation Market
Indian carriers are trying to keep pace with the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, where demand for air travel has surged post-pandemic despite all the challenges the industry continues to face.
Following this order, IndiGo becomes the second customer of the Airbus A350 in India after Air India.
IndiGo recently launched flights to destinations in Africa, West Asia, and Southeast Asia, as reported by Reuters. The LCC is also growing its European footprints through codeshare partnerships with European airlines including Turkish Airlines, and KLM among others.
What’s more interesting to know, is how the cabin configuration will be. If IndiGo configures its A350s with an all-economy configuration the aircraft won’t be able to fly to North American destinations, especially in the winter season without payload restrictions.
IndiGo entered into widebody aircraft operation by wet leasing Turkish Airlines Boeing 777s for its Istanbul flights in December 2022.
The Indian government has been reportedly asking airlines to order wide-body aircraft and connect India with a large pool of international destinations directly. The government plans to reduce dependence on foreign airlines, as reported by the Mint.
“It is important for me to give every avenue possible to my customer that means certainly look at international airlines and increasing their footprint into India… but also look at our domestic flag carriers growing their footprint internationally, which is why I have been stressing to our airlines that we need to induct greater wide-body aircraft so that we can cross the seven seas and supplant our footing and make our mark there.”
Indian Civil Aviation Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia
