India’s largest carrier, IndiGo has just placed the biggest-ever aircraft order for a single airline with Airbus.
The order for a record 500 narrowbody jets – almost three times as many planes as the Qantas Group has in its entire fleet – edges IndiGo rival Air India’s purchase of 470 aircraft in February this year.
According to Reuters, Airbus will deliver the low-cost carrier’s order of A320neo-family jets between 2030 and 2035.
“This is just the beginning, there’s more going forward,” IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers said at a recent press conference.
“With the growth of India [and] the growth of the Indian aviation market … this is the right time for us to place this order.”
Elbers said the new order would allow the airline, which accounts for nearly 60 per cent of the Indian domestic market, to double its fleet size.
Incredibly though, IndiGo still has another 480 or so jets left from previous Airbus orders, so total orders would see the carrier grow four-fold.
As India’s airlines race to meet demand in the world’s fastest-growing aviation market, Indian carriers now have the second-largest order of planes behind the US, with over six per cent of all plane orders, according to a June report by Barclays.
But some aviation analysts are worried both IndiGo and Air India could be over-ordering planes to compete for the same passengers.
Air India’s deal comprises 250 Airbus planes and 220 Boeing jets, including 70 wide-body aircraft.
“Our ambitious fleet renewal and expansion programme will see Air India operate the most advanced and fuel-efficient aircraft across our route network within five years,” Air India CEO Campbell Wilson said in a statement.
Air India said the deal was worth US$70 billion at list prices.
Last last year, Singapore Airlines and Tata Sons announced they would merge full-service airline Vistara with Air India to create India’s leading airline group.
