It seems IndiGo is going for the long-haul challenge, with the airline ordering Airbus A350 aircraft.
IndiGo Airbus A350 – Rendering Airbus/Rolls Royce
IndiGo has agreed to place a firm order for 30 A350-900 aircraft, with options for a further 70. The move will allow IndiGo to spread its wings further and expand its network.
The cabin configuration will be decided at a later point, but well before the first delivery, which is expected to start in 2027. These will be fitted with Rolls Royce Trent XWB engines.
Currently, IndiGo operates over 350 aircraft.
Last year, in June 2023, IndiGo placed the largest-ever single aircraft order by any airline for 500 aircraft with Airbus.
With that, the outstanding orderbook of A320 Family aircraft stands at almost 1,000 aircraft which are yet to be delivered well into the next decade. This IndiGo order book comprises a mix of A320neo, A321neo and A321XLR aircraft.
This milestone was celebrated on April 25th in Gurgaon at InterGlobe’s Corporate Headquarters by Mr Pieter Elbers, IndiGo’s CEO, Mr Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus’ Executive Vice President of Commercial Aircraft and Mr Ewen McDonald, Rolls Royce’s Chief Customer Officer – Civil Aerospace, and in the presence of Dr. V. Sumantran, Chairman of the Board of IndiGo and Mr. Christian Scherer, Airbus’ CEO of Commercial Aircraft.
In Quotes
Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, said,
“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.
At IndiGo, we take pride in being India’s preferred airline and for offering connectivity to our customers, in and with India. This reaffirms IndiGo’s belief in, and commitment to, the growth of India, and in our strategic partnership with Airbus.”
That’s a big shift
It seems IndiGo wants a bigger piece of the aviation pie in India, whilst expanding its international and long-haul offerings. Currently, it’s partnered with Turkish Airlines to offer Long-haul operations in between India and Istanbul, with a pair of Boeing 777 aircraft assigned to assist.
It seems this was the experiment the airline needed to understand how long-distance flying works, and the costs and implications of running such a service on its network.
With Vistara merging with Air India, as it aligns its brands, there will be a clear opening for another long-haul carrier.
The question is which business model that IndiGo will offer – will they go for a low-cost carrier option, or consider a more premium option?
There are a lot of things for IngiGo to think about as it considers the interiors of its new aircraft.
I suspect we might find out more in late April when IndiGo has its big conference call unveiling further details.
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