India’s Indigo airline places biggest 500 plane deal in history

IndiGo airline announced on Monday that it has made a record order for 500 Airbus A320 aircraft.

The massive expansion by India’s largest airline comes as the aviation industry is witnessing more competition after the entry of TATA Group.

IndiGo is maintaining its hold over the Indian aviation market for a while now with a 57.5% domestic market share as of April 2023. In a statement, IndiGo airline termed the order as the largest-ever single aircraft purchase by any airline with Airbus and informed that the deliveries of the aircraft are expected between 2030 to 2035.

In addition to the airline’s current talks for 500 A320, Boeing and Airbus are in separate discussions to sell up to 25 787 Dreamliners or A330s to the carrier to aid its long-haul and widebody aspirations further.

At the IATA AGM this week in Istanbul, IndiGo CEO Peter Elbers declined to comment on the suggested order. The airline recently inducted its own leased 777s, leading to interest in a long-haul future as well.

India now holds the second largest order book, only behind the United States, with its share now sitting at 6%. With Tata’s Air India already making headlines for its record deal to acquire up to 470 aircraft, it could see the Indian aviation market either fully saturated or become a powerhouse once the ordered aircraft eventually take to the skies.

IndiGo and the Tata brands hold 80% of the Indian domestic aviation market.

Air India’s Airbus order will add 210 A320neo family narrow-bodies for its short and medium-haul operations and 40 A350s.(ANI)