India’s biggest airline orders 30 more Airbus aircraft
Aircraft manufacturer, Airbus, has announced an order for 30 A350-900 planes from IndiGo, India’s largest airline.
The group employs 5,000 staff at its wing making plant in Broughton, near Chester, and around 3,000 staff at its Filton plant in Bristol.
The order will help expand IndiGo’s international network to long-haul destinations, and add to the orders intake at the Broughton site.
India, the world’s fastest growing major aviation market, is on the verge of an international travel boom as the economy grows and household incomes rise.
Airbus said its A350 model is perfectly positioned to serve the country’s aspirations for long-range travel and the choice of the A350 is a reaffirmation of IndiGo’s continued trust in Airbus and is yet another validation of the aircraft as the undisputed leader in long-haul air travel.
Pieter Elbers, CEO, 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.”
Benoît de Saint-Exupéry, Airbus EVP Sales, Commercial Aircraft, said: “A heartfelt thank you to IndiGo for putting its trust in Airbus once again, and to our respective teams who negotiated this agreement for 30 A350s.
“IndiGo’s first widebody order opens an exciting new chapter in our close partnership. We are proud that our fuel-efficient, next-generation A320 family revolutionised domestic air travel in India, and that now the A350 is poised to replicate the same success on long-haul routes.”
Bound in a relationship of symbiotic growth with India for more than half a century, Airbus products and services have catalysed the growth of the country’s civil aviation sector, the manufacturer said.
IndiGo is among the fastest growing airline companies in the world, and is one of the largest A320 family customers.
New figures show that last month Airbus made 61 deliveries to 33 customers. Gross orders during April stood at 57, and the group’s 2024 deliveries to date are 203 aircraft to 52 customers.
