Airbus lands world record orders at Paris Air Show

Aircraft manufacturer Airbus which employs around 4,ooo staff at its factory in Filton, has landed a series of record-breaking new orders at the Paris Air Show.

IndiGo, India’s largest airline by market share, has placed a firm order for 500 A320 family aircraft, setting the record for the biggest single purchase agreement in the history of commercial aviation.

At current list prices the deal is worth an estimated £40bn.

Flynas, the Saudi air carrier and a leading low-cost airline in the Middle East, has firmed up an order with Airbus for 30 new A320neo family aircraft, taking the airline’s total order with Airbus to 120 A320neo aircraft, including 10 A321XRLs.

And Air Mauritius has confirmed an order for three A350 aircraft to expand its network in Europe and South Asia.

IndiGo’s latest agreement takes the total number of Airbus aircraft on order by the carrier to 1,330, establishing its position as the world’s biggest A320 family customer.

The historic purchase agreement was signed by Rahul Bhatia, promoter and managing director of IndiGo, Dr Venkataramani Sumantran, chairman and non-executive independent director of IndiGo, Pieter Elbers, CEO of IndiGo, Guillaume Faury, Airbus CEO, and Christian Scherer, Airbus chief commercial officer and head of international, at the Paris Air Show 2023.

Pieter Elbers said: “It is difficult to overstate the significance of IndiGo’s new historic order for 500 Airbus A320 family aircraft. An order book now of almost 1,000 aircraft well into the next decade, enables IndiGo to fulfil its mission to continue to boost economic growth, social cohesion and mobility in India.”

Christian Scherer, chief commercial officer and head of international at Airbus, said: “This landmark order marks a new chapter in Airbus and IndiGo’s relationship that is democratising affordable air travel for millions of people in the world’s fastest growing aviation market.

“It is also a resounding endorsement of the A320 family’s best-in-class operating economics that have been powering IndiGo’s growth for almost two decades. We cherish our long-standing relationship with IndiGo and are proud of our success together.”

New Delhi-based IndiGo is among the fastest growing carriers in the world. Since its first A320neo aircraft was delivered in March 2016, its fleet of A320neo family has grown into one of the world’s largest with 264 aircraft in operation.

Bander Almohanna, chief executive and managing director of Saudi’s flynas, said: “As we continue to grow receiving several awards for excellence in operations and customer services and invest in our offering, we are delighted to confirm our latest order with Airbus.”

Christian Scherer said: “Unbeatable economics, longer range capability and the most spacious single aisle cabin have made the A320neo family the preferred choice of airlines worldwide. That includes in the low cost sector, where carriers operate in especially competitive environments. We look forward to working with flynas as it develops its future fleet and presence in the fast-growing Saudi market.”

Kresimir Kucko, CEO of Air Mauritius, said: “Air Mauritius is proud to renew its confidence in Airbus and its products, continuing a three-decade long partnership. The additional A350-900 aircraft will help us strengthen our European network and secure further growth in other markets.”

Christian Scherer said: “We compliment Air Mauritius on putting the A350 at the heart of its long-haul fleet modernisation programme.”