On Monday, IndiGo placed a historic order for 500 planes. Airbus received the biggest-ever aircraft order in the history of commercial aviation. The French business stated that deliveries will be completed between 2030 and 2035.
India’s top budget airline still has 480 planes on order that will be delivered by the end of the decade.
While Indian airlines are expanding their fleets, purchasing aircraft is not a cheap endeavour. Large planes cost tens of millions if not hundreds of millions, of dollars.
“This new order will bring the strategic relationship between IndiGo and Airbus to an unprecedented depth and breadth. With this new order, since its inception in 2006, IndiGo has ordered a massive total of 1.330 aircraft with Airbus”, IndiGo said in a statement.
The airline stated that the fuel-efficient A320NEO Family aircraft will allow it to maintain its ‘strong focus’ on lowering operating costs and delivering fuel efficiency with high standards of reliability.
IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers described the deal as a historic moment for the airline and Airbus. While the official list price of the agreement stands at an impressive $55 billion, it should be noted that the actual sale prices, which are typically undisclosed, tend to be lower.
This is the second big aviation deal for India as in February this year, Air India made a deal of 470 aircraft with Airbus and Boeing Co. The agreement supports government plans to turn India into a hub for global connectivity. The government is making significant investments in aviation infrastructure, and as a result, there will be twice as many airports in the nation in 2023 as there were in 2014.
